Question

Ask the Pastor – Importance of Faith

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Question:

The Scriptures make it clear that we are justified by faith. (Romans 3:28; 5:1.) Why does God set such a premium on faith? Why does He reckon us righteous on account of our faith? Why does He justify by faith rather than by one of the other graces? Why not by virtue, patience, meekness, gentleness, humility; above all, why not by love? What is there in faith that gives it such value in God’s sight?

Answer:

First of all, let me say that faith is the root of all the other graces, and it is in faith that they have their origin.

If, in our hearts, we have true faith, the manifestation of all the other graces will naturally take place in our conduct. Our lives will be, or will become, characterized by virtue, patience, meekness, gentleness, humility, and love. If we have in our hearts a living faith, we have in us the beginning of all the other graces; we have in us that which is already working with them and which, in due time, under the guidance and by the power of the Holy Spirit, will produce them all. But, if it were possible for our experience as a Christian to begin with any one of them, even love, or with all of them put together, without their root of faith being in us, they would be without hope of reaching maturity. They would inevitably wither, when tried by some fiery trial or test.

The apostle Peter brings this to our attention in 11 Peter 1:5–8. Here he shows the well-balanced condition in which a true Christian character matures. The Greek word epichoregeo means “to furnish besides, i.e. fully supply, (figuratively) aid or contribute.” In other words, “With your faith supply virtue; and with [your] virtue knowledge; and with [your] knowledge self-control; and with [your] self-control patience; and with [your] patience godliness; and with [your] godliness brotherly kindness; and with [your] brotherly kindness love.” (11 Peter 1:5–7.)

We are not to first mature faith and then to our matured faith add virtue (or fortitude) and then to our matured fortitude add knowledge, and so forth. The word, epichoregeo, is much more vital than add. The faith that we bring to the Christian life is to contain in itself the seeds that will produce all these graces. As faith grows, they will grow.

When a great trial comes into our lives, when we are taxed with some unusual circumstance or called upon to share in the burdens and sufferings of Christ, we can be as certain as were the disciples that the surest way for us to be ready for the task and for the strain for which an experience brings us is to have our faith strengthened. We must believe more, if we would do more. Our rest in Him must be more dependent. We must experience a calmer and surer trust, so we can be more effectively used in the Saviour’s service.

Pastor Mike Baugher is Associate Speaker for Steps to Life. If you have a question you would like Pastor Mike to answer, e-mail it to: landmarks@stepstolife.org, or mail it to: LandMarks, Steps to Life, P. O. Box 782828, Wichita, KS 67278.

Ask the Pastor – Eye to Eye

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Question:

What is the meaning of the expression, in Isaiah 52:8, “They shall see eye to eye”?

Answer:

This is an interesting passage. The complete text says, “Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.” Isaiah 52:8.

This Scripture is commonly understood to mean that “when the Lord shall bring again Zion,” the “watchmen” will be in complete agreement upon all the various doctrines, which have divided them throughout the centuries. Believing further that the time for the Lord to bring again Zion has come, many brethren are at a loss to understand why the predicted harmony of viewpoint fails to manifest itself.

Today, it is still true that to him who reads the Book of Isaiah, the paramount question is that propounded by Philip to the Ethiopian eunuch: “Understandest thou what thou readest?” Acts 8:30. Let us see if we can understand what Isaiah 52:8 is saying in relation to its context.

The entire theme of Isaiah is that the present time of corruption and evil is to be purged by divine judgment from which only a remnant will escape. Afterwards, a “golden age” will be ushered in.

The earlier chapters of Isaiah are concerned with the corruption and evil and the prediction of judgments on both Israel and the nations. Then comes the magnificent prophecy concerning Zion redeemed. This is how it opens: “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.” Isaiah 40:1.

The prophet, however, predicts that when this message is first delivered, it will go unheeded. Jerusalem had been in captivity so long, that her watchmen found it almost impossible to wake up the people spiritually. Again and again the call is given: “Hearken to me”; “Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation”; “Hearken unto me”; “I, even I, am he that comforteth you”; “Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem”; “Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion.” Isaiah 51:1, 4, 7, 12, 17; 52:1. But to all these entreaties of the Lord, Jerusalem fails to respond.

At last, the weary watchmen do awake, and they begin to give the message. This has its counterpart for us living in the last days as well. We know that the loud cry is to go out to the entire world in the last days, calling the people to awake out of their Laodicean conditions.

It is interesting that this phrase in Isaiah 52:8, which is translated “eye to eye,” is, in Numbers 14:14, translated “face to face.” Evidently the thought is that of clearness of vision. The watchmen do not just see dimly, but clearly—there is nothing to obstruct their view. And when that happens, a great change comes upon the people of God, and they begin to prepare to receive Jesus when He comes in the clouds of heaven.

This prediction was partially fulfilled in the experience of Israel when, by the hand of Cyrus, God delivered them from Babylon. And it is to have a much grander fulfillment in the experience of spiritual Israel just before the close of probation.

God has great things in store for His people, and we want to make sure that we all are ready to have a part with Him when that great event arrives.

Pastor Mike Baugher is Associate Speaker for Steps to Life. If you have a question you would like Pastor Mike to answer, e-mail it to: landmarks@stepstolife.org, or mail it to: LandMarks, Steps to Life, P. O. Box 782828, Wichita, KS 67278.

Ask the Pastor – Return to Which Roots?

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Question:

Certain individuals have told me that we need to come back to the teachings of the pioneers of the Adventist movement. These same people have also started teaching that Jesus was created, that there is not the person of the Holy Spirit, and that we need to call Jesus and Jehovah God by their Hebrew names. Can you help me work through these things?

Answer:

First of all, when studying a passage or statement, we must always look at the context surrounding it. These individuals who are saying that we need to get back to what the pioneers taught are, for the most part, over-reacting, because there has been so much apostasy taking place in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. They are over-correcting in an effort to keep from being a part of the apostasy. Such individuals think that if they return all the way to what the pioneers taught, they will be safe. But such is not always the case.

If we go back into the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, we will find that many things were being taught in its early years, which had not been thoroughly studied. True understanding developed with further study over time. One prime example of this would be the eating of swine’s flesh. “If God requires His people to abstain from swine’s flesh, He will convict them on the matter. He is just as willing to show His honest children their duty, as to show their duty to individuals upon whom He has not laid the burden of His work. If it is the duty of the church to abstain from swine’s flesh, God will discover it to more than two or three. He will teach His church their duty.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 207 [written 1858]. “God has given you light and knowledge, which you have professed to believe came direct from Him, instructing you to deny appetite. You know that the use of swine’s flesh is contrary to His express command, given not because He wished to especially show His authority, but because it would be injurious to those who should eat it.” Ibid., vol. 2, 96 [written 1868].

Just because something was taught at one time in the Seventh-day Adventist Church by the pioneers, does not mean that it is forever settled. The Bible says, in Proverbs 4:18, “The path of the just [is] as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” The pioneers, who were searching and searching for truth, found it, because they gathered more and more light as they studied from the Word. Those who did not continue to study, guided by the Holy Spirit, were left in darkness. (See Proverbs 4:19.)

Many things about which the pioneers wrote and believed at some point in time, and which are being picked up and used by Seventh-day Adventists today, are like the statement quoted above from volume one of the Testimonies. More light has come, changing the understanding on these matters. Some pioneers may have believed in the calling of God by His Hebrew name, that Jesus was created, and the no-personhood Holy Spirit ideas, but light has replaced darkness on these subjects. We should not go back and pick up these errors and begin preaching them today, as, with continued prayer and study, additional enlightenment has been given.

Those who did not keep pace with the light, as it was leading forward, went off on many and varied tangents. Many people today who have not been able to understand the process of how truth developed have, as a result, gone off on their own tangents, regardless of what clarification the light has made on variant issues.

It is not enough to be historic in our beliefs. We must also, through the study of the Word, receive the truth as it developed.

Pastor Mike Baugher is Associate Speaker for Steps to Life. If you have a question you would like Pastor Mike to answer, e-mail it to: landmarks@stepstolife.org, or mail it to: LandMarks, Steps to Life, P. O. Box 782828, Wichita, KS 67278.

Question & Answer: How did Jesus prepare His disciples for His death and resurrection?

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Several Scriptures reveal that Jesus told them how He would be treated but they could not accept His words.

“From that time forth Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, ‘Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You.’ But He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offence to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men’ ” (Matthew 16:21–23).

“Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said unto them, Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man shall be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again” (Matthew 20:17–19).

See also: Mark 8:31–33; Mark 9:31, 32; Luke 9:21, 22; 18:31–34.

Further comment:

“Before His crucifixion the Saviour explained to His disciples that He was to be put to death and to rise again from the tomb, and angels were present to impress His words on minds and hearts. But the disciples were looking for temporal deliverance from the Roman yoke, and they could not tolerate the thought that He in whom all their hopes centered should suffer an ignominious death. The words which they needed to remember were banished from their minds; and when the time of trial came, it found them unprepared. The death of Jesus as fully destroyed their hopes as if He had not forewarned them. So in the prophecies the future is opened before us as plainly as it was opened to the disciples by the words of Christ. The events connected with the close of probation and the work of preparation for the time of trouble, are clearly presented. But multitudes have no more understanding of these important truths than if they had never been revealed. Satan watches to catch away every impression that would make them wise unto salvation, and the time of trouble will find them unready.” The Great Controversy, 594.

“… Jesus was carefully opening to His disciples the sufferings through which He must pass—that He would be crucified and that He would rise again the third day. But their understanding seemed dull, and they could not comprehend what He told them.” Early Writings, 161.

Ask the Pastor – Understand Hyperbole

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Question:

What did Jesus mean, in Mark 9:43, 45, 47, when He said that if the hand, foot, or eye causes you to sin, to cut off the hand or foot or pluck out the eye? I have heard sermons where it was said that Jesus did not mean that literally. I could accept this, if it were not for the fact that He goes on to say that it would be better to enter life with one hand, foot, or eye than to have them both and be cast into hell.

Answer:

The language used by Christ in this context employs a figure of speech that is common to all languages. It is called hyperbole. The term is derived from two Greek components, hyper (over, above) and bole (from ballein, to throw), hence “to throw above.” It is a specially designed exaggeration for the purpose of emphasis. My mother, with somewhat of a twinkle in her eye, used to say, “Son, if you do that again, I’m gonna skin you alive.” I knew she was speaking figuratively; nonetheless, I got the point!

Thus, Christ, in this context, was emphasizing the supreme value of pursuing the kingdom of God above all else. To stress this principle, He chose, for illustration purposes, items that are very precious to us—such as the eye, hand, or foot. The obvious meaning is this: Recognize the value of eternal things; do not be derailed by temporal and physical distractions.

Moreover, the language in the latter portion of the passage in no way negates the symbolism employed in the warning.

That this is the fair meaning of the passage is obvious from the fact that a mere amputation of a hand or a foot or the removal of an eye does not alter the condition of the heart. Therefore, such actions, drastic though they are, would not provide sufficient motive for a transformed heart.

It was the heart that Jesus was trying to reach, as is seen in the passages of Mark 7:1, 18–23. The surgery that Jesus talked about, in Mark 9, is spiritual, not physical. The point is this: The value of being eternally with the Creator makes all of earth’s circumstances seem trivial.

A comprehension of at least some of the basic figures of speech utilized by the Bible writers is absolutely essential for a correct interpretation of Scripture in many cases. A lack of such understanding has resulted in a variety of errors—some of which were painfully experienced.

Origen, a theologian of the early third century a.d., misinterpreted Jesus’ admonition about becoming a eunuch for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. (See Matthew 19:12.) As a consequence of his misguided exegesis, he emasculated himself. Eusebius, a fourth century historian, noted that Origen’s method of interpretation was “too literal and puerile in a sense.” (Ecclesiastical History, vi.viii.) The historian paid a rather high price for failing to understand a significant biblical figure of speech.

The Saviour’s teaching in the context cited in Mark, therefore, is to be viewed figuratively—not literally.

This is why we are told, in 11 Timothy 2:15, to study the Scripture: “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Study brings with it a putting together in such a way that truth is made known from a heavenly perspective. I hope that this helps with your study of this matter.

Pastor Mike Baugher is Associate Speaker for Steps to Life. If you have a question you would like Pastor Mike to answer, e-mail it to: landmarks@stepstolife.org, or mail it to: LandMarks, Steps to Life, P. O. Box 782828, Wichita, KS 67278.

Ask the Pastor – Avoid Erroneous Teaching

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Question:

I have lived in the Netherlands for about five years. I am from the Netherlands Antilles. I have studied the book, None Dare Call it Apostasy [Part 1 by Dr. John J. Grosboll, Part 11 by Dr. Ralph Larson], and I have seen many of the things cited in the book happen in the church where I am a member. My question is: Do I have to keep going to this church, or should I study at home with my children and my brother and sister so that we can follow God the way He wants us to follow?

Answer:

You have asked a very basic and fundamental question that has come up in many Seventh-day Adventists’ minds. It is a very delicate and sensitive question. To answer such a question, in a way not in line with denominational policy, can create a great deal of prejudice, because it can be viewed as disloyalty. But we need to be honest and truthful to the Word and to God and not just pleasers of men.

With the many and varied doctrines which are floating through Adventism today both in the structure and in historic circles, it can be spiritually dangerous for us to attend meetings where we can be snared and caught off our guard and led astray. God never requires us to go into a place of danger unless He Himself directly requires this of us. If God requires us to go into a place where error is being taught, then it is His responsibility to protect us from suffering harm. But if we go on our own, then we could face serious consequences. If that place of danger is attending a church where spiritual harm lurks, then it is pretty certain that God would have us to go somewhere else so that we do not receive spiritual damage.

I want to share two quotations from the pen of Ellen White which might help us to focus on this issue.

“We can not afford to separate ourselves from Jesus for a single hour. Without Him we are in danger of being overcome of Satan, who is ever watching to suggest doubt, unbelief, and error. The world is flooded with error; it meets us on every hand. It is taught from the sacred desk, and lurks in theology, in literature, in philosophy, in science. Error perverts the judgment and opens the door to temptation, and through its influence Satan seeks to turn hearts from the truth; but an intelligent love for the truth sanctifies the receiver, and keeps him from the enemy’s deceptive snares.” The Signs of the Times, November 7, 1896.

“God is displeased with us when we go to listen to error, without being obliged to go; for unless He sends us to those meetings where error is forced home to the people by the power of the will, He will not keep us. The angels cease their watchful care over us, and we are left to the buffetings of the enemy, to be darkened and weakened by him and the power of his evil angels; and the light around us becomes contaminated with the darkness.” Early Writings, 125.

It becomes apparent that this can be a very serious matter. Each and every person must study the issues that they are confronted with in their church attendance and make their own decisions, but they must examine closely and carefully, so they are not deceived and caught in a snare from which there may be no escape.

Pastor Mike Baugher is Associate Speaker for Steps to Life. If you have a question you would like Pastor Mike to answer, e-mail it to: landmarks@stepstolife.org, or mail it to: LandMarks, Steps to Life, P. O. Box 782828, Wichita, KS 67278.

Ask the Pastor – Who Will Be Saved?

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Question:

Will babies and children who are too young to make a decision for Christ be saved? What will happen to older people who have had no opportunity to know Christ? Will they be saved?

Answer:

These questions have been in the minds of many people over the centuries. The popular teaching is that everyone will go to heaven, but the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy, I believe, give clear information on this question.

In Ezekiel 18, there are statements made that we must take into account in searching for truth in this matter. The first part of this chapter establishes the fact that all life (souls) belongs to God. He is the giver of life, and He is the withholder of life. It all belongs to Him to do with as He pleases. In verses 5–9, God lays down the qualifications for acceptance with Him. Then, in verses 10–13, there is established the difference between a father who is just and his offspring who is unjust. The offspring cannot ride on the father’s good deeds; he will be judged for his own sin. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son.” Verse 20. This establishes the fact that every person is responsible for his own sin. It is sin that brings forth death.

In Romans 2:2, we read: “But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.” Verses 6 and 7 tell us: “Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life.” Verses 11–16 go on to tell how God will judge the people who do not have knowledge of God through the Law of God. They will be judged according to what they know. God will not excuse some just because they did not know and were bad. “For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law.” Verse 12. He will judge accordingly. Good or bad, they will be judged according to what they have done.

The story of the Passover reveals to us the plan of God regarding little children. In Selected Messages, Book 3, 314, we read: “The word of God came to the Israelites in bondage to gather their children into their houses and to mark the doorposts of their houses with blood from a lamb, slain. This prefigured the slaying of the Son of God and the efficacy of His blood, which was shed for the salvation of the sinner. It was a sign that the household accepted Christ as the promised Redeemer. It was shielded from the destroyer’s power. The parents evidenced their faith in implicitly obeying the directions given them, and the faith of the parents covered themselves and their children. They showed their faith in Jesus, the great Sacrifice, whose blood was prefigured in the slain lamb. The destroying angel passed over every house that had this mark upon it. This is a symbol to show that the faith of the parents extends to their children and covers them from the destroying angel.”

Regarding the children of unbelieving parents, we read, “Whether all the children of unbelieving parents will be saved we cannot tell, because God has not made known His purpose in regard to this matter, and we had better leave it where God has left it and dwell upon subjects made plain in His Word.” Ibid., 315.

I hope this has helped to give some understanding to this age-old question.

Pastor Mike Baugher is Associate Speaker for Steps to Life. If you have a question you would like Pastor Mike to answer, e-mail it to: landmarks@stepstolife.org, or mail it to: LandMarks, Steps to Life, P. O. Box 782828, Wichita, KS 67278.

Ask the Pastor – The Unconverted Spouse

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Question:

What did Peter mean when he said, in 1 Peter 3:1, 2, “Likewise, ye wives, [be] in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation [coupled] with fear”?

Answer:

One thing that we need to remember, when we read counsel such as this, is the fact that when people are converted, they will experience trials in their lives. We are not removed from relationships that exist between family members and husbands and wives. Where one is converted and the other is not, special care needs to be given to present the gospel in all of its power, so a loved one will experience the witness and respond.

There are few experiences more difficult than to be united in marriage to an unbeliever. The Christian young man or young woman should never go voluntarily into such a union. Paul’s counsel surely reflects the inspiration of the Holy Spirit when he says, in 11 Corinthians 6:14, 15: “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for . . . what communion hath light with darkness? . . . or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?”

But where one member of an already formed family is brought to know the Lord while the other remains in the darkness of unbelief, serious misunderstandings and perplexing circumstances can arise.

If the wife has been converted, while the husband has not been, special wisdom and grace are called for on her part to draw the husband to know the Lord. If she takes a superior attitude toward her unconverted husband, she will only stir up his opposition to the truth and make her circumstances miserable. She is counseled here, by Peter, to be in subjection to her own husband. She is to manifest such grace and humility of spirit that even though he resents the Word that is being presented to him, it is by her exceptional behavior and the beauty of her Christian character that he is won to Christ.

We have the saying that actions speak louder than words. This is a principle of Scripture. A whiney, dominating woman will drive her husband further from God instead of drawing him to Christ. But a gentle, gracious lady, whose life is characterized by purity and whose adorning is not simply that which is outward but which is inward, will have a great influence over even a godless husband. The goal of the purposes of a loving wife should be to win her unbelieving husband.

I have never read in Scripture where force or nagging ever won anyone to the Lord. But there are many instances where a meek and submissive spirit has won multitudes to the Lord. This is the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. The world works in just the opposite way. Force is the order of the day. This is why, in the issue of the Sunday law, force will be used to try to control the conscience.

The same principle is to be used where the wife is the unbeliever and the husband is a believer. Kindness, patience, care, and love are mighty when applied to the marriage relationship to win the heart of the unbelieving mate.

Pastor Mike Baugher is Associate Speaker for Steps to Life. If you have a question you would like Pastor Mike to answer, e-mail it to: landmarks@stepstolife.org or mail it to: LandMarks, Steps to Life, P. O. Box 782828, Wichita, KS 67278.

Ask the Pastor – Receiving the Promise

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Question:

In Hebrews 11:13, it is stated that those who are mentioned in this faith chapter died, and they never received the promises. But both Enoch, who was translated, and Moses, who was resurrected, are mentioned in this chapter. Can you explain how Enoch and Moses never received the promises, yet they went to heaven?

Answer:

Hebrews 11 is called the faith chapter. It rehearses for us the experiences of many of the ancients who, in spite of the odds of their day, followed the leading of the God of heaven.

We must remember that, in order to understand what is being taught here, we must read the whole of the narrative. First of all, we must understand what promises are mentioned in this chapter.

In Genesis 12 and 13, we find what it was that God promised to Abraham, the father of the faithful. “And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.” “And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him.” Genesis 12:5, 7. In Genesis 13:15, the promise is repeated to Abraham. “For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.”

What God promised to Abraham was the land of Canaan. That was to be his home forever. All of his offspring were to have a part in that inheritance.

In connection with the plan of salvation was the promise according to Galatians 3:29, that, if we belong to Christ, we are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise. By adoption through the blood of Christ, we become members of Abraham’s family, and we will receive of the promises also.

Enoch, Moses, and even Elijah, who are now alive in heaven, will partake of this same promise of inheriting the earth. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, in Matthew 5:5, “Blessed [are] the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”

If, according to Hebrews 11, these all died not having received the promises, then why are they in heaven? Heaven was not what was promised. It was the earth that was promised. The heavenly part is the New Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven to settle on this earth. It will rest upon the Mount of Olives. The fact that they are involved in heavenly matters during the interval of time between their translation and the city coming down has nothing to do with the promises of inheritance of the earth.

The promises are still to be fulfilled to them. The fact that they have to wait like all the rest does not mean that they will miss anything. God’s plan is for all to enjoy the blessing of the inheritance at once.

Rest assured that God has a plan, and that plan is inclusive of all who, by faith, have accepted Jesus as Saviour. Then it will be that this earth becomes the eternal home of the redeemed, according to the promise.

Pastor Mike Baugher is Associate Speaker for Steps to Life. If you have a question you would like Pastor Mike to answer, e-mail it to: landmarks@stepstolife.org or mail it to: LandMarks, Steps to Life, P. O. Box 782828, Wichita, KS 67278.

Q&A – How to Differentiate between Satan’s False Revival and the Loud Cry?

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The Loud Cry” is a statement that is mentioned a number of times in the writings of Ellen White. The Bible refers to it as “the times of refreshing” (Acts 3:19), which takes place at the same time as the “latter rain.” “It is the latter rain, the refreshing from the presence of the Lord, the loud cry of the third angel.” Christian Experience and Teachings of Ellen G. White, 177.

The purpose of the Loud Cry is to get the final message of mercy to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. It is the finishing of the work and the gathering of the remnant just before Jesus comes. There is no new doctrine, but the same message with new vigor and power—the truth about the love of God and the overcoming of all sin. It will carry with it an urgency to prepare for heaven. This message will not teach that you can continue sinning until Jesus comes and He will miraculously convert you to a sinless being. It will urge us to take hold of the power of God and overcome sin.

It is described like this: “I heard those clothed with the armor speak forth the truth with great power. It had effect. Many had been bound; some wives by their husbands, and some children by their parents. The honest who had been prevented from hearing the truth now eagerly laid hold upon it. All fear of their relatives was gone, and the truth alone was exalted to them. They had been hungering and thirsting for truth; it was dearer and more precious than life. I asked what had made this great change. An angel answered, ‘It is the latter rain, the refreshing from the presence of the Lord, the loud cry of the third angel.’ ” Early Writings, 271.

The false revival will have much power, but it will not teach the necessity of overcoming sin and it will not have the love of Jesus. It will speak lightly of the seventh day Sabbath. Miracles will be performed, however of a very different spirit.

In order for us to be able to distinguish between the false and the true we must be prepared for the deception that is coming. “None but those who have fortified the mind with the truths of the Bible will stand through the last great conflict. To every soul will come the searching test: Shall I obey God rather than men?” The Great Controversy, 593, 594.

“It is the duty of every one to search the Scriptures for himself. We cannot accept the assertions of men as infallible.” Historical Sketches, 197.

“As we near the end of time, falsehood will be so mingled with truth, that only those who have the guidance of the Holy Spirit will be able to distinguish truth from error. We need to make every effort to keep the way of the Lord. We must in no case turn from His guidance to put our trust in man. The Lord’s angels are appointed to keep strict watch over those who put their faith in the Lord, and these angels are to be our special help in every time of need. Every day we are to come to the Lord with full assurance of faith, and to look to Him for wisdom. … Those who are guided by the Word of the Lord will discern with certainty between falsehood and truth, between sin and righteousness.” God’s Amazing Grace, 201.

If you have a Bible question you wish to have answered, please e-mail it to: ruthgrosboll@stepstolife.org.