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Recipe – Healthy Halvah

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Tahini

Tahini is a creamy butter made from toasted, hulled or un-hulled sesame seeds. Ground to a fine creamy paste, it is nutty in flavor, with a thick, oily, and smooth texture similar to natural peanut butter.

Should tahini be a staple in your diet?

The answer is a resounding yes! In many corners of the world, tahini is called a nutritional powerhouse, and many call it a superfood for its outstanding nutritional benefits.

When you think of copper, pennies might be the first thing that come to mind. But this trace mineral is a nutrient your body needs, and tahini has plenty of it. Copper plays a crucial role in assisting in the formation of red blood cells, controlling blood pressure, maintaining healthy bones and connective tissue, and preventing anemia.

Sesame seeds have more phytosterols than other nuts and seeds, and these plant compounds have been shown to help lower cholesterol.

Studies further show that sesame seeds contain both sesamol and selenium, natural chemicals found in sesame seeds and sesame oil, have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-aging benefits, as well as strong anti-cancer effects.

There are numerous ways to use tahini, and they’re all delicious. On the savory side, it’s commonly found in hummus, sauces, and dips, including eggplant-based baba ghanoush. But tahini is also tasty in sweet recipes. The most popular tahini-based sweet, halvah, is a slightly crumbly treat made into in bars.

Source: webmd.com/diet/benefits-of-tahini; syndian.com.au/single-post/amazing-facts-about-tahini

Recipe – Healthy Halvah

Ingredients

1 ½ cups raw almonds, or almond pulp from homemade almond milk

3 Tbs. honey

½ tsp. vanilla powder or flavoring

½ cup tahini sesame butter

1 Tbs. carob powder

Process

Process almonds in a food processor until finely ground. Add the honey, vanilla, and tahini butter; process thoroughly. Place ½ mixture in a bowl; set aside. Add carob to the remaining mixture and process until mixed. Press the plain mixture into a flat dish until it is ¼ inch thick. Pat the carob mixture evenly onto the plain mixture. Press the two mixtures together to make ½ inch thick. Chill for 1 hour, then cut into bite-sized pieces.

Music in the Home

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God has made parents responsible for their children—for feeding, clothing, housing, raising them correctly, and keeping them safe. If a child were to run out in front of a car, a parent would know what to do to protect them. The parent wouldn’t just wring their hands and ask, “What can I do?” If a child started to drink a glass of poison, smoke a cigarette, or drink a can of beer, a parent would not hesitate to take immediate action, because they are responsible. You must not hesitate to take proper action if your child is in danger. No excuses!

Equally important is the parents’ responsibility to protect their children from worldly music, whether it is a bedlam of noise or pretty, schmaltzy music, which is a mockery of Christ. Parents should not tell their child that it is all right for them to listen to strange music as long as they wear earphones or go to their bedroom and shut the door so they don’t have to hear it. And though it can be challenging, parents should teach their child to avoid it, even at friends’ homes. Parents must teach them to be bold and to stand up and say to their friends, “I can’t listen to music like this. If you have to listen to it, I can’t stay.” Do whatever it takes. It shouldn’t be any harder than to say, “No, I won’t smoke a cigarette,” or “No, I will not take a drug.”

My great-grandson, Adam, went with his mother and grandfather to eat in a Turkish restaurant. While Adam was ordering his meal, he noticed that there was terrible rock music playing, so he said to the waiter, “Will you please play some Turkish music? We are in a Turkish restaurant.”

The waiter said, “We don’t have any Turkish music.”

Adam, speaking in a voice like he was some kind of royalty and expected to be obeyed, said, “Well, then, I want classical music, please.” The waiter found a radio station that had classical music, and Adam’s mother said it was the best music she had ever heard in a restaurant in her life. Teach your children to stand boldly for what is right.

Musical Opportunities

Children need to have musical opportunities. When they are still very young, acquire small, inexpensive instruments for them to have at home. Do not force a child to take lessons, but if they show an interest, provide music lessons for them when they are a little older. As a music teacher, I know forcing a child to take up an interest in music will not work. To encourage an interest in music, parents should take their children to good music concerts. What kind of concerts? Good ones! There are a lot of bad ones; don’t go there.

What kinds of songs should our children listen to at home and in Sabbath School? Children should not be given little repetitious ditties, nor songs set to secular music. If children happen to know the secular songs, when they sing the tune—even with religious words—they will think about the secular words. Even if they don’t know the secular words, secular music is not appropriate for sacred songs. If the music used is not suitable for the words, chances are the words aren’t spiritual, either. This applies to adult music as well. You cannot legitimately mix sacred and secular music.

Parents must teach their children real songs—not songs that simply entertain. They should be taught songs like “O Worship the King.” It has meaning. Teach them what the words mean, making sure they understand. Teach them Seventh-day Adventist songs. Don’t downplay children’s capabilities. Teach them to sing as the angels sing. How do the angels sing?

“Their [the angels’] singing does not grate upon the ear. It is soft and melodious . … It is not forced and strained.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 333. Angels sing softly. Our children should sing softly, not shout or make a bedlam of noise.

“Some think that the louder they sing the more music they make; but noise is not music. Good singing is like the music of the birds—subdued and melodious.” Evangelism, 510

Musical Movement

If children need exercise, take them outside to play. A religious meeting is not the place for raucous, boisterous, rough-and-tumble movement. The best kind of movement parents can teach their children is choreographed movement and sign language to go along with the song. One such song is “I’m Too Young.” With this song, the children can march “in the infantry,” ride “in the cavalry,” shoot “the artillery,” and fly “o’er the enemy, … but I’m in the Lord’s army (ending with a salute).” Or “Only a Boy Named David” gives them the ability to gather “five little stones,” and swing the slingshot “round and round,” and then fall as the “giant came tumbling down.” “Praise Him!” and “Kum Bah Ya” teach children sign language as they sing. Children enjoy these songs.

Hymnals

Dr. Oliver Beltz once told me that he was on the committee to choose the songs for the 1941 Church Hymnal. Years later, John Thurber shared that he was on the committee to select the songs for the 1985 Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal. Review and Herald Publishing Association, in Washington, DC, publishes both hymnals. These conversations have given me a little insight into how the songs for each of these hymnals were chosen.

Despite the 40-year gap between each man’s experience, they both told me a similar story. Each said that there were times when the committee members wanted to include songs they knew Dr. Beltz and Mr. Thurber would not approve. So, without notifying either of them, they would call a committee meeting and approve the songs while they were absent. Both committees did that! You can’t take either of these hymnals and think that everything in them is good.

Parents might like to build a personal, family hymnal for use at home. Selecting the favorite songs each member of the family likes best would make a beautiful addition to family worship, as parents teach their children songs about Jesus’ love, creation, and salvation. Assembling a hymnal is a tough job, but you may find it well worthwhile. Let me offer principles and ideas that I believe will help parents choose the best songs for their home hymnal.

Guidelines

  1. Choose music that is worship-centered. There are only two beings in this universe to worship—God or Satan. The songs selected should be centered towards the being you choose to worship.
  2. Choose music that is Christ-centered and not I-centered. This can be a difficult concept to understand. As you examine a song, ask these questions: Who is the center of this song? About whom am I singing? Am I singing about myself, or am I singing about Christ? An example of a song that may be a challenge to judge is the song “Not I, but Christ.” It has the word “I” in it several times, but the message of the words is clearly centered on Christ.

I once presented a music seminar in a church in West Virginia. A man came to the meeting primed for an argument with me. He wanted to prove to me that it is all right to sing I-centered songs. In the seminar, we were discussing several songs, and regarding one of them, I said, “You know, I’m quite uncomfortable with this song. Although the music seems to sound all right, the words seem very I-centered to me.”

This man said, “We must have songs about our experience.” Do we? Let me share a personal experience that could easily become I-centered.

The devil doesn’t want me to share all these things with you, and for several months before camp meeting, he has been pouring out his whole arsenal on me. I have nearly gotten to the end of my rope. I knew God was taking care of me, but it still had an effect inside my body. It was affecting me both physically and emotionally.

After arriving at the camp meeting, we began having trouble with our computer. It was working beautifully when I left home. We spent a whole afternoon trying to get it to work, including a solid hour on the telephone with the computer service desk. That’s how much the devil has been working! Now that my computer is working again, do you think I should write a song about my experience—the lost afternoon, the hour on the phone, how I have suffered while the devil bombarded me with everything he’s had? No! I want to sing about how God has saved me, making this experience with my computer nothing at all. I want to sing, “Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow.”

  1. Don’t choose harmful music. Yes, music can harm you. It can hurt your body, your mind, and your spirituality. Don’t choose that kind of music.
  2. Choose music that will allow the angels to join in as you sing. We should sing and listen to music that is subdued and melodious, like the songs of the birds. At our house, we feed the birds, so we are surrounded by them. I love to hear them sing. We should sound like birds singing. I don’t think we could have any higher ambition than that. Birds sing softly and melodiously.
  3. Do not choose music meant for entertainment. What does this include? Pop music, nightclub, crooning music; music with warm fuzzies—that’s entertainment music.
  4. Do not choose music that is only emotion-based or sensual. I have had this theory for a long time, and I was so happy when I discovered it in the Spirit of Prophecy. All of our talks, all of our sermons, and all of our music should include both emotion and intellect. If you leave out one or the other, or overbalance one way or the other, we will be in trouble.

I heard a very prominent pastor preach a wonderful sermon about heaven, and I was emotionally moved by it. But I have found that sermons that only excite the emotions don’t last very long. You leave the church, realizing that the sermon’s emotional impact was all it had. There was no intellect in it at all. You don’t even remember what was in it, and you feel let down, perhaps empty, because you were not spiritually fed. That is why Mrs. White so often refers to the need for balance in our lives. [See Sons and Daughters of God, 161–163.]

  1. Do not choose music with false theology. Carefully review every word.
  2. Choose songs in which the words and the music match. Don’t mix secular and sacred. Beyond that, don’t choose a happy, uplifting tune to sing about something serious and solemn. For instance, don’t sing a song about marching to Zion when the words are saying something about the love of God. It doesn’t fit.
  3. Choose music that will draw each individual in the congregation closer to God.

“Jesus carried into His labor cheerfulness and tact. … Often, He expressed the gladness of His heart by singing psalms and heavenly songs. Often the dwellers in Nazareth heard His voice raised in praise and thanksgiving to God. He held communion with heaven in song, and as His companions complained of weariness from labor, they were cheered by the sweet melody from His lips. His praise seemed to banish the evil angels, and, like incense, fill the place with fragrance.

“With the voice of singing, He welcomed the morning light. He listened to the lark caroling forth music to its God, and joined His voice with the voice of praise and thanksgiving.

“Song is a weapon that we can always use against discouragement.

“The voice of thanksgiving, praise, and rejoicing is heard in heaven. The voices of the angels in heaven unite with the voices of the children of God on earth as they ascribe honor and glory and praise to God and to the Lamb for the great salvation provided.

“Let us learn the song of the angels now, that we may sing it when we join their shining ranks.” The Faith I Live By, 273

Juanita McElwain earned her PhD in Music Therapy from Florida State University. She has taught music on all levels from preschool to college graduate. She has worked as a music therapy clinician with individuals with intellectual disabilities. Her areas of expertise in research include the effects of music on brain waves and the effects of music on headache. She has given numerous seminars on the power of music, which include good and bad effects of music, rock music, sensual music, music in worship and mind control through music throughout the United States and in Europe. She and her husband are presently retired in West Virginia. She may be contacted by e-mail at: juamce@meer.net

Why Do People Pass Out?

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Recently I saw a video of a young man and his girlfriend strapped into an amusement park ride that took them to the top of a tall pole, paused, then suddenly dropped them, and repeatedly stopped and dropped. They both must have been on the ride for the first time because they each expressed concern and even suggested that maybe they should get off.

But before they could execute that suggestion, they were rapidly pulled to the top of the pole and let go. The video shows that the girlfriend screamed and to some degree, seemed to enjoy the ride. The young man, however, screamed and promptly fainted. What made it interesting was that throughout the entire ride, the girlfriend didn’t notice. This young man would wake up screaming and then faint again, over and over. So, why did he keep passing out while the girlfriend did not?

These brief periods of fainting—greyouts or blackouts—are known as syncope. Gravitational forces (G-forces) and abrupt changes in acceleration and deceleration are the reason that people pass out on rides. A roller coaster accelerates upward, forcing blood downward toward the lower extremities, away from the brain, temporarily reducing the oxygen supply to the brain. The individual will experience loss of peripheral vision, what they see is dimmed (a greyout) or they experience total temporary blindness (a blackout).

The body, in an effort to counteract all this, increases the heart rate, and blood vessels constrict in an effort to maintain adequate blood flow to the brain. But because of the G-forces, these compensation efforts may not be sufficient causing a lack of oxygen to the brain and resulting in syncope.

The balance systems—vestibular and autonomic nervous systems—can also play a role. The autonomic nervous system controls involuntary bodily functions. This system can be overwhelmed by extreme sensory input from, let’s say, a roller coaster. This triggers a sudden drop in heart rate and blood pressure (a vasovagal response), which in turn reduces blood flow to the brain and a person will faint. The vestibular system provides information about motion, balance, and spatial orientation. It is located in the inner ear. On a fast-moving ride, what the eyes see conflicts with what the inner ear feels. This mismatch leads to motion sickness symptoms and contributes to the vasovagal response, resulting in overstimulation of the vagus nerve and a temporary loss of consciousness.

But why did the young man do all the fainting, but the girlfriend did not at all? Several other factors can increase a person’s susceptibility to passing out. Dehydration and hunger can reduce blood volume, and the body is then less able to cope with the changes that occur when experiencing G-forces. Fatigue lowers the body’s resilience to stress. Pre-existing medical conditions like low blood pressure and heart issues can contribute to the fainting episodes. Even psychological factors such as anxiety and fear can trigger an adrenaline rush, increasing the heart rate and blood pressure, and once the intense portion of the ride is over, there is a sudden drop resulting in fainting. Hyperventilation or heat illness can also cause a person to faint.

Fainting, without the sudden ups and downs of an amusement park ride, is still caused by a lack of blood flow to the brain. This lack of blood flow can be caused by many of the same things. But just fainting can also be a sign of a serious or even life-threatening condition. If you experience any of the following symptoms, you should take immediate steps to prevent fainting, but you should still try to determine why you felt like fainting.

While fainting can happen and there’s nothing you can do to stop it, there are things you can try when you feel a faint coming on:

  • Make a fist
  • Cross your legs
  • Squeeze your thighs together
  • Tighten the muscles in your arms
  • Lie down or put your head between your knees

A person may faint only occasionally as a result of easily-recognized reasons, but if a person experiences frequent fainting spells, it might be time to consult a healthcare provider to determine the cause.

Did You Know?

Fainting happens most often to people between the ages of 10 and 30 years, and in those 65 and older.

Commonly found in males, micturition syncope can cause a person to pass out when they urinate, cough or stretch.

Standing for long periods with knees locked can cause you to faint. This is a result of blood pooling in your leg veins.

FAINTING SYMPTOMS causes of lack of blood flow to the brain
Feeling flushed and warm Dehydration
Weakness Shock
Confusion Drugs and alcohol
Dizziness or lightheadedness Drug interactions
Headache Orthostatic Hypotension (standing up too fast)
Nausea Anxiety or fear
Shortness of breath Stress
Cold sweats Sight of blood
Trembling of shaking Getting a shot
Tunnel or blurred vision

Source: biologyinsights.com/why-do-some-people-pass-out-on-rides; verywellhealth.com/causes-of-fainting

Fighting the Good Fight

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A number of years ago, at an orphanage in a northern state, there lived a boy we shall call Will Jones. He was just an ordinary boy except in one respect, which I must point out, to his discredit. Will Jones had a temper that distinguished him from the general run of boys. Will’s temper might have been inherited from a Spanish pirate, and yet Will was a boy whom everyone loved; but this hair-trigger temper at times terribly spoiled things. It would be tedious to recount his uprisings of anger, and the dire consequences that often followed.

Mr. Custer, the superintendent of the orphanage, had worked to hopefully lead Will to the paths of right; but it was a difficult task.

Sometimes it needs but one small breach to begin the overthrow of a giant wall. One small key, if it is the right one, will open the most resisting door. One small phrase may start a germ of thought growing in a human mind which in after years may become a mighty oak of character. So, Will Jones the incorrigible fighter, was to demonstrate this principle, as we shall see.

On a Sabbath evening, as the hundred or more orphans met at vespers and sang, “Onward, Christian Soldiers!” they saw a stranger seated at the speaker’s desk in the home chapel. He was a venerable old man, straight and dignified, his grayish-white head a crown of honor; for he was all that he appeared—a father in Israel.

In a brief speech, he told the boys that he had once been a Union soldier, and had fought in the battles of his country. He told of the courage it required to face death upon the battlefield. He described the charges his company had made and met, the sieges and the marches, the sufferings they endured, and, lastly, the joys that victory and the end of the conflict brought.

Then, when the boys were at the height of interested expectancy, he skillfully drew the lesson he wanted them to learn. He told of a greater warfare, requiring a higher courage, and bringing as a reward a larger and more enduring victory. “Boys,” he said, “the real soldiers are the Christian soldiers; the real battle is the battle against sin; the real battleground is where that silent struggle is constantly waging within our minds.” Then he told of Paul, who said, “I have fought a good fight.” Did any of you boys ever fight a bad fight?” Every head but one turned to a common point at this juncture, and the eyes of only one boy remained upon the speaker. Will Jones had the record for bad fights, and that is why about 99 pairs of eyes had involuntarily sought him out when the speaker asked the question, which he hoped each would ask himself. And the reason Will Jones did not look around accusingly at any of the other boys was because he had taken to heart all that had been said; and, because of this, the turning point had come; his conversion had begun. Henceforth, he determined so to live that he could say with Paul, “I have fought a good fight.”

No sooner does a boy determine to fight the good fight than Satan accepts the challenge, and gives him a combat such as will seem like a “fiery trial” to try him. These struggles develop the moral backbone; and if a boy does not give in, he will find his moral courage increasing with each moral fight. Just let that thought stay in your mind, underscored in bold faced italics, and printed in indelible ink; and if you have a tendency to be a spiritual “jelly-back,” it will be like a rod of steel to your spine.

The fear of Will Jones’ knuckles had won a degree of peace for him. He had lived a sort of armed truce, so to speak. Now he was subjected to petty persecutions by mean boys who took advantage of his new stand. He did not put on the look of a martyr either, but remained good natured even when the old volcano within was rumbling and threatening to bury the tormentors in hot lava and ash. The old desire to fight the bad fight was turned into the new channel of determination to fight the good fight. Today, Will Jones is still a good fighter, and I hope he always will be, and someday be crowned with eternal victory; for he who fights the good fight is fighting for eternity.

Will you not try so to live each day, subduing every sinful thought, that at night when you kneel to pray you can say to the Lord, “I have fought a good fight today”?

Stories Worth Re-reading, S. W. Van Trump, ©1913, 71–73

I Will Be a Mighty Oak Someday

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The acorn. Both a fruit and a seed. Produced by oak trees, they have a distinctive shape, a hard shell, and a scaly cap called a cupule. This nut-like fruit is critical for oak tree production and contains one or two large seeds inside this tough outer shell. They are food for many varieties of animals, including squirrels and birds, particularly in winter.

They take five to 24 months to mature depending on the specific species of oak. There are 38 acorn types, so the species of oak that will grow can be identified by the outer characteristics—its color, shape, type of cupule, and size—of the acorn.

The Cupule

The cup of the acorn is either scaly, smooth, or hairy. The cupule of native North American acorns have overlapping scales.

Shape

The typical shape of an acorn is round or oblong, and some have pointed tips while others have smooth-rounded tops.

Color

Mature acorns are either purplish-red, reddish-brown, light or dark brown, or black. Green acorns are immature.

Size

Acorns are typically one to six centimeters long. The small acorn nut is about 0.5 of an inch. The largest acorn from the burr oak can be 2-3 inches in diameter.

Acorns are edible and can be roasted and ground into flour. They can also be used to make a caffeine-free, coffee-like drink. Raw acorns contain bitter-tasting tannin. Tannin can be toxic to humans. The acorn should be leached to remove the tannin to improve taste, and safe for human consumption.

The sweetest acorns, and those containing the lowest levels of tannin are found in the pin, burr, east coast white, and cork oaks. The largest acorns are produced by the east coast white, burr, and California black oaks. The fattiest acorns, used to make acorn oil, are from the eastern red and black oaks. The smallest acorns come from the chinquapin and cherry bark oaks.

How to Plant an Acorn

Remember that acorns come in a variety and different acorns will produce different oak trees based on the criteria above. Collect your acorns for planting after they have fallen from the tree (avoiding green acorns). Wait until the second drop, as the acorns in the first drop often are of poor quality. Gather your acorns promptly as they dry out quickly and will be inviable.

All types of acorns should be planted in the fall. Gather twice as many acorns as the number of seedlings you want to grow. Not all will germinate. Discard the acorns if the cups are attached, are damaged in any way, or are moldy or rotted. Plant the seeds right away. If you can’t plant right away, spray them with water to keep them moist, but not wet, in a ventilated plastic bag, stored in a cool place.

Initially, soak the acorns in cold water. Viable acorns will sink and remain at the bottom of the bowl. Floating acorns are no good for planting and should be discarded. Plant the acorns in commercial potting mix based on peat moss. This is the safest way to start healthy seedlings. Use small pots, planting two acorns sideways in a pot. Water them until the water runs out of the drainage holes. Cover the pots with a screen or hardware cloth. Keep the seeds moist until the onset of winter, and keep it weed and pest-free.

Once the seedlings appear, cut off, do not pull out, the weaker of the two about two weeks after they emerge. Plant the stronger seedling in a two-quart nursery pot with large drain holes. The soil should be a half-and-half mixture of potting soil and garden soil, adding one teaspoon of slow-release fertilizer in the soil.

Once the seedling has developed a strong root system, it’s time to plant in its permanent location. Dig a hole three times the diameter of the container at the same depth and place the sapling in the hole and fill in. Water the sapling and spread a thick layer of mulch around the tree, leaving a two-inch space between the mulch and the tree trunk.

Sources: biologyinsights.com/are-acorn-trees-and-oak-trees-the-same; leafyplace.com/types-of-acorns; thespruce.com/plant-acorns-grow-oaks-5203188

Did You Know?

Acorns are also known as oaknuts. Only oak trees can produce acorns.

Leaching acorns to remove the tannin is accomplished by soaking them in water, draining, and repeating until the water runs clear.

Oak saplings are a favorite food for deer and other wildlife. Place a mesh tree guard around the tree for at least three years to protect it.

Offer Unto God Thanksgiving

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“I will praise Thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will show forth all Thy marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in Thee: I will sing praise to Thy name, O Thou Most High.”

We should ever remember that thanksgiving is the fruit of true, willing obedience. The Lord is the object of our worship, and to praise His holy name shows respect for His efficiency. God says, “Whoso offereth praise glorifieth Me.” “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Faith relies upon God as being able and willing to save to the uttermost all who come to Him. As we speak of God’s power, we show that we appreciate the love that is so constantly shown us, that we are grateful for the mercies and favors bestowed on us, and that the whole soul is awakened to a realization of God’s glory.

The absence of praise and thanksgiving pleases the enemy of God. The line of demarcation between those who utter the holy name of God in blasphemy, and those who praise Him with heart and with voice, is clear and distinct. He who is truly converted will glorify God as he beholds the wonderful things of His creation, the brightness of the sun, moon, and stars, the changing beauty of the heavens. To him all nature will declare God’s mighty power. He will be led to give glory to His holy name. …

Fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; 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. … I the Lord Thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. … When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: ‘I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together: that they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the Lord hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.’ ”

What greater encouragement and assurance than this could the Lord give His loyal, commandment-keeping people? Have we not every reason for changing our attitude toward God? Is it not our duty to show the world that we appreciate the love of Christ? As we produce the fruit of thanksgiving, we bear living evidence that by connection with Christ we are placed on vantage ground. God is the fountain of life and power. He can make the wilderness a fruitful field for those who keep His commandments; for it is for the glory of His name to do this. Thus he witnesses to Christianity. He has done for His chosen people that which should inspire every heart with praise and thanksgiving; and it grieves Him that so little praise is offered. He desires to have a stronger expression of praise from His people, showing that they know they have reason for manifesting joy and gladness. …

The people of God need to be aroused to let their light shine forth. Christ said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” God’s people should be an animated people, filled with joy and gladness because they behold Him who is invisible to the eyes of the world.

Our tongues should be used to express the appreciation in our hearts for God’s goodness. Thus God requires us to return to Him gratitude offerings. But this is not the only way in which we are to praise God. We are to praise Him by tangible service, by doing all we can to advance the glory of His name. By improving our intrusted talents, we are to offer God thanksgiving.

We are to glorify God by keeping His commandments. Christ said: “If ye love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him; but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth Me no more.” Feeling no need of Me, it is seeking for the perishable things of earth. “But ye see Me: because I live, ye shall live also.” How plain is the distinction here drawn between the two classes. Worldlings place their whole attention upon the gaining of worldly advantages. The mind is filled with the selfish thought, How can I secure these advantages for myself? How can I obtain more money? This is the god man worships. Men do not stop to think of the riches of which no earthly power can deprive them. They see not Christ, neither know Him. They do not realize their great need of a Redeemer. They do not pray. They put Christ out of their lives as much as possible.

“But ye see Me: because I live, ye shall live also.” Christ is with His children, enlightening their minds and leading them to call upon Him. As they do this, He hears their prayers and purifies their hearts. They see Him as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. They do not walk in accordance with the ways of the world. They ask God for Christ’s sake to help them, and they receive the help they ask for. They are gifted by God with power to see the love and wonderful charms of Christ. They can never feel lonely or comfortless.

“At that day ye shall know that I am in My Father, and ye in Me, and I in you. He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him. Judas saith unto Him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that Thou wilt manifest Thyself unto us, and not unto the world?” Let all mark the answer. “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him.” Wonderful indeed is this promise. Do we comprehend it? When a man becomes one with Christ, he has the mind of Christ. He is no longer antagonistic to God’s law, but lives in obedience to all His commandments. He walks in the footsteps of the Saviour.

But should he walk regretfully, because in his union with Christ he is called upon to practice self-denial and self-sacrifice? Think of what the Prince of heaven did to manifest His love for the Father and for us. He resigned His position as Commander in the heavenly courts, and clothed His divinity with humanity, that humanity might lay hold of humanity, and divinity grasp the throne of the Infinite. This He did to perfect the redemption of the human race. Those who receive Him are adopted into the royal family as sons and daughters of God. They are made heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ, to an immortal inheritance. Have they any cause for regret?

Christ has declared that the cross which makes the line of demarcation between His people and the world so distinct is not a cross of discouragement, but a cross of salvation. Love for the Saviour will lead us to acknowledge this. God has given human beings all that ministers to their happiness, and in return He asks them to lay their gifts and offerings on His altar. Shall we disregard this requirement? Shall we fail of offering God praise and thanksgiving in word and deed?

The Review and Herald, November 20, 1900

Fear God

by

The Bible story of Abraham and Isaac provokes the greatest depth of emotion.

“Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then He said, ‘Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.’

“So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.’

“So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, ‘My father!’

“And he said, ‘Here I am, my son.’

“Then he said, ‘Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?’

“And Abraham said, ‘My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.’ So, the two of them went together.

“Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

“But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham!’

“So, he said, ‘Here I am.’

“And He said ‘Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.’ ”

Genesis 22:1–12

What must have been going through Abraham’s mind as he took Isaac on that three-day journey to the place that God directed as the place of sacrifice.

Was he silently praying that the trip be long? Or that it would soon be over? With each successive step, his desire for God to give him some sign of a change in plans must have been more and more ardent.

One cannot begin to imagine what Abraham must have been thinking as he raised the knife to sacrifice Isaac.

We know—and Abraham must have reminded himself—that God had promised that Abraham’s descendants would be as the sand of the sea. So, even though God had commanded Abraham to kill the only means by which His promise was to be fulfilled, he by faith went forward to obey God, not knowing how but nonetheless convicted that God would somehow do what He promised and make a great nation of Abraham’s descendants.

But it was at the point when Abraham raised the knife to sacrifice Isaac that God knew how truly faithful Abraham was and how fully He could trust him. Scripture says in Genesis 22:12, “And He said, ‘Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.’ ”

This text presents an interesting puzzle. We know that God knows the end from the beginning. We therefore have to believe that God knew that Abraham would do as He had commanded him. So, I suggest that this exercise was for the benefit of Abraham and Isaac—to show them more fully that God truly loved them and would fulfill His promise through them regarding the destiny of His people. This trial also showed them the blessings that accrue from obedience.

As you can imagine, inspired writings have much to say about this story. “Abraham’s test was the most severe that could come to a human being. Had he failed under it, he would never have been registered as the father of the faithful. … The lesson was given to shine down through the ages, that we may learn that there is nothing too precious to be given to God.” Our High Calling, 191

Another purpose to this test was to show succeeding generations that there is nothing that we can render to God whose value exceeds what He deserves for having given us the opportunity for everlasting life.

“It is when we look upon every gift as the Lord’s, to be used in His service, that we secure the heavenly benediction. Give back to God your entrusted possessions and more will be entrusted to you. Keep your possessions to yourself, and you will receive no reward in this life and will lose the reward of the life to come.” Ibid.

This story not only helps us to understand why Abraham is called the father of the faithful, but it also gives us some degree of understanding of what it means to fear God.

One common definition of the term to fear God is “to regard Him with reverential awe … with wonder, admiration, and respect that is accompanied by devotion and perhaps even some degree of amazement.”

Reverence can be defined as “honor and respect that is deeply felt and outwardly demonstrated.” Because of the Lord God’s awesome and omnipotent power and majesty, He is deserving of the highest level of reverence. Not only are we to afford reverence to God, but Leviticus 19:30 tells us that we are to reverence His sanctuary. Why is that? Because that is where He promises to meet with His people. In that same chapter, the importance of obedience and of keeping the Sabbath is mentioned at least four times as a means of showing the reverence and godly fear that followers of Christ are to manifest in our relationship with our Creator.

The Bible records reverence as the automatic response of everyone who encounters the awesome grandeur of God. “So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the Lord appeared to them.” Numbers 20:6

The glory of God is an awesome thing to contemplate, and undoubtedly even more awesome to actually witness. Inspiration tells us that God “speaks” to us, continuously manifesting His glory, if we had but eyes to see and ears to hear. In every bird song, in the scent and beauty of every flower, and in the beauty of unspoiled natural landscapes His glory is displayed.

Another example of the revelation of God’s glory to man is found in Judges 13. In this chapter, we find the story of the birth of Samson. It begins with the story of Manoah and his wife’s reactions when God reveals Himself to them.

“Then Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, ‘What is Your name, that when Your words come to pass we may honor You?’ And the Angel of the Lord said to him, ‘Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?’ So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it upon the rock to the Lord. And He did a wondrous thing while Manoah and his wife looked on—it happened as the flame went up toward heaven from the altar—the Angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar! When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell on their faces to the ground.” Verses 17–20

They were so awed, so overcome by this magnificent and inexplicable display that they involuntarily showed the honor and respect that is “deeply felt and outwardly demonstrated,” showing the reverential awe and godly fear that is due to our Creator.

Another example is of God’s children failing to manifest godly fear and the consequences of not trusting in His promises as found in 1 Chronicles 21. Here we find the children of Israel trying to estimate the number of enemy combatants over whom they might win the victory, rather than relying by faith on God’s promise to be their Defender.

After David numbers the people, it is recorded in 1 Chronicles 21, “… the Lord sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell. And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As he was destroying, the Lord looked and relented of the disaster, and said to the angel who was destroying, ‘It is enough; now restrain your hand.’ And the angel of the Lord stood by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. Then David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, having in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. So David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces.” Verses 14–16

This story might well explain a different aspect of fearing God. At His command, the destroying angel had just slain 70,000 men. When David and the elders saw the angel standing with his sword drawn and stretched out over Jerusalem, they fainted. What but a fear of God could cause such a reaction?

The fear of God is a character trait that is often cited as a qualification for entering into His service. We are given one such example when Moses was leading the children of Israel during their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.

“In the days of the theocracy, when Moses was endeavoring to carry alone burdens so heavy that he would soon have worn away under them, he was counseled by Jethro to plan for a wise distribution of responsibilities. ‘Be thou for the people to Godward,’ [i.e., stand before God for the people], Jethro advised, ‘that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: and thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt show them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.’ Jethro further advised that men be appointed to act as ‘rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.’ These were to be ‘able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness.’ ” The Acts of the Apostles, 92, 93

We learn from this story that those who fear God are truthful and unselfish, both required character traits of those seeking character perfection.

In his second letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul also addresses the subject of fearing God, instructing them to perfect holiness in the fear of God (2 Corinthians 7:1). He gives similar instructions to the Ephesians. “Submitting to one another in the fear of God.” Ephesians 5:21

In Hebrews 12:28, Paul tells us to “serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.”

Peter also wrote of this attitude. “Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.” (1 Peter 2:17), four short pieces of inspired advice, any one of which is worthy of deep study.

One of the wonderful things about our God is that He doesn’t tell us to do something without also telling us how to do it, and He often tells us in a variety of ways.

Solomon, speaking to one of his sons, gave this advice:

“My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.” Proverbs 2:1–5

This advice can also be interpreted as God speaking to us.

When I was a very young child, my mother would read the Bible to me. One of the first things I noticed that some of the words were printed in red. She told me that these were the words of Jesus. Then I noticed that she never read from the book of Revelation. When I asked her why, she told me that no one understood that book, which in hindsight seems contrary to its name, since Revelation means revealed, not hidden.

I have since learned that Seventh-day Adventists are unique in their call to fear God, gleaned solidly from the book of Revelation. That call began in 1843, as explained from this manuscript:

“The first and second messages [Revelation 14:6–8] were given in 1843 and 1844, and we are now under the proclamation of the third [1896]; but all three of the messages are still to be proclaimed. It is just as essential now as ever before that they shall be repeated to those who are seeking for the truth. By pen and voice, we are to sound the proclamation, showing their order and the application of the prophecies that bring us to the third angel’s message. There cannot be a third without the first and second. …

“ ‘And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters’ [Revelation 14:6, 7].

“This message, if heeded, will call the attention of every nation and kindred and tongue and people to a close examination of the word, and to the true light in regard to the power that has changed the seventh-day Sabbath to a spurious sabbath. The only true God has been forsaken, His law has been discarded, His sacred Sabbath institution has been trampled in the dust by the man of sin. The fourth commandment, so plain and explicit, has been ignored. The Sabbath memorial, declaring who the living God is, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, has been torn down, and a spurious sabbath has been given to the world in its place. Thus, a breach has been made in the law of God. …

“In the first angel’s message men are called upon to [fear and] worship God, our Creator, who made the world and all things that are therein. …

“The message proclaimed by the angel flying in the midst of heaven is the everlasting gospel, the same gospel that was declared in Eden when God said to the serpent, ‘I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed.’ ” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 17, 6, 7

It is only by heeding the call of these three angels that we can hope to have that Godly fear that assures us of a mansion on the other side of the Jordan.

Fear God and worship Him that made heaven and earth. Come out of Babylon.

By keeping the commandments of God, including the seventh-day Sabbath, and the faith of Jesus, we are assured of the safety that Godly fear provides and equally assured of avoiding the mark of the beast.

If we are to have everlasting life, then we must first have all of these character traits. Study God’s word. Reread Proverbs 2. Study the lives of Abraham and Job. Even Satan recognized Job as one who feared God.

“Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the King.” 1 Peter 2:17

John R. Pearson is the office manager and Steps to Life board member. He can be reached by email at johnpearson@stepstolife.org or by phone at 316-788-5559.

The Mysterious Global Superpower

by

Hundreds of thousands gathered in Rome and millions more around the world tuned in online to witness the funeral of Pope Francis. Without a doubt, they felt the overwhelming power of the Roman Catholic Church. On April 26, 2025, monarchs, presidents, prime ministers, dignitaries, and religious leaders from across the globe assembled to pay their respects to the pope during the solemn funeral mass. It was a global display of both the political and religious might of Papal Rome and the entire Roman Catholic Church. The visual impact of this event was further amplified by the monumental architecture of St. Peter’s Square, the imposing structure of St. Peter’s Basilica, and the awe-inspiring splendor of the liturgical ceremony. It was an extraordinarily evocative and impressive spectacle. Just a few days later, on May 7, the conclave began—a gathering of cardinals tasked with selecting the successor to Pope Francis. On May 8, the conclave elected a new religious and political leader of the Roman Catholic Church: Cardinal Robert Prevost, who chose the papal name Leo XIV. On Sunday, May 18, 2025, during a grand Mass held in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV was formally enthroned.

This moment also marked an unprecedented historical milestone: for the first time in the history of the papacy, the newly elected pope hailed from the United States of America. For the 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide,1 and according to Catholic doctrine, the pope is the Bishop of Rome, the successor of Christ and the apostles, the Primate of Italy, the Archbishop and Metropolitan of Rome, the Sovereign of Vatican City, the servant of the servants of God, the first after God, the successor and representative of Jesus Christ on earth—the Vicar of Christ.2

Does the Bible confirm the legitimacy of using all these papal titles? Does the faith of Catholics in the pope as the Vicar of Christ, and in what they consider the holy Church find support in the Bible? What does the Bible say about the papacy and the Roman Catholic Church? It is extremely important to examine the papacy—a strange and mysterious geopolitical and religious power—from the perspective of God’s word.

The Successor of the Roman Empire

The roots of the papacy are, in fact, ancient, reaching back to the earliest centuries when the Roman Empire still existed. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century, the papacy stepped in to fill the void left by the Roman emperors and became the direct successor to the Roman Empire. The very existence of the papacy owes much to the Roman emperors, most notably to Constantine the Great, who effectively became the ruler of the Church, and to Theodosius the Great, who granted the Church new rights and privileges. Under his reign, the Roman Church was officially given the status of state religion. Moreover, the significance of the Bishop of Rome increased further when, in the year 330, Constantine moved the imperial capital to Constantinople.3

The Idea of the Roman Emperor

The concept of the office of the pope as holding supreme authority over the entire Church originates from the idea of the emperor ruling over the whole Roman Empire. As the foundation for its claim to supremacy and hegemony over all of Christendom, the papacy embraced the theory of Petrine primacy and apostolic succession. According to Catholic doctrine, the primacy of Peter is based on the belief that the apostle Peter was the supreme head of the entire Church, possessing the fullness of authority. The doctrine of apostolic succession, in turn, leads to the conclusion that Peter’s authority was passed on to the succeeding Bishops of Rome. Therefore, they are considered the successors of the apostle Peter and thus the rightful leaders of the entire Christian Church on earth.4 In reality, however, according to historical evidence, the papacy is the successor to the Roman emperors, not to the apostle Peter. Both Scripture and the testimony of the early Church clearly demonstrate that the papacy cannot and does not legitimately claim succession from the apostle Peter.

The Ideology of the Roman Bishops

The primacy of the apostle Peter is one of the most essential elements of Catholic theology and serves as the foundation of the papacy. Catholics claim that when Christ established the Church, He appointed the apostle Peter as its leader, calling him the rock upon which the Church—as a Christian community—was to be built. “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this Rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). The entire authority of the papacy and the Catholic religion itself rest on this single statement of Jesus.5 It was Pope Leo I who first claimed (around AD 445) that his authority came directly from Christ, who had passed it on to the apostle Peter, and from Peter to the subsequent Bishops of Rome. It is Leo I—referred to by the Roman Catholic Church as “the Great”—who is considered the true architect of the doctrine of jurisdictional primacy of the Bishop of Rome. Thus, he is regarded as the first pope in the proper sense of the word and regarded even as the founder of the papacy. The position the papacy acquired in the fifth century was primarily due to the support of secular power—specifically, Emperor Valentinian III, who in AD 445, issued a decree officially establishing the supremacy of the Bishop of Rome’s authority within the Western Church.6

The Papal System

Thus, began the dark history of the imperial power of the popes supported by secular authorities. From this point forward, the papacy would be able to pursue its imperial ambitions by wielding the physical force of the state. It would establish the institution of the Inquisition, whose verdicts would be carried out by secular power, and it would conduct policies aimed at converting pagans through brutal violence.7 In this way, a new religious-political entity was born—the papacy, a worthy successor to the Roman emperors. Through its imperial policies, the papacy defiled the earth with an unimaginable scale of immorality, persecution, and systemic cruelty, manifested in the Inquisition, the mass slaughter of the Albigensians, Cathars, Waldensians, Protestants, Jews, and bearing more or less direct responsibility for some of the darkest chapters in human history. The papal system became one of the most oppressive regimes in the history of mankind, worthy of being called a beast opposing Christ and the eternal gospel, despite using Christian terminology and claiming to act in Christ’s name. Peter de Rosa, a Catholic historian devoted to his church, summarizes it this way: “There are millions of them; these people cannot accept that their church and all its popes, some of whom were canonized, were so cruel. … It is a tragic event, but there is an undeniable connection between the stakes, the crosses, papal laws, pogroms—and the gas chambers, crematoria, and Nazi death camps.”8

What Did Christ Say?

Did the words of Christ in the Gospel of Matthew refer to the apostle Peter? Was Peter truly meant to be the Rock of the Church? The original text of the New Testament uses two different Greek words to describe Peter and the Rock—petros and petra. Translated, the verse says: “You are Peter (petros), and on this Rock (petra) I will build My church.” The name Peter, in Greek petros, means a small stone or a movable fragment of rock.

In contrast, the word petra means a large rock or bedrock—an immovable, solid rock mass.9 Thus, the meaning of Christ’s statement is as follows: “You, Peter, are a ‘stone,’ but I will build My Church on the ‘rock,’ the unshakable mass of solid rock. Then the powers of death and evil will not prevail against it.” Jesus contrasted Peter (a small stone) with the Rock. The Church of Christ was built on the Rock of Ages, not on a shaky and movable stone.10 The Aramaic language spoken by Jesus also distinguishes between these concepts.

However, for Christians, the most important thing is the meaning that the Bible assigns to these two words.11 Peter de Rosa—a Catholic historian—confirms that even among the Apostolic Fathers and early Church Fathers, the concept of Peter as the “rock” does not appear: “It may come as a shock to Catholics to hear that the great Church Fathers did not see any connection between Jesus’ statement and the papal office. Not one of them applies the words ‘You are Peter’ to anyone other than Peter himself. … None of them calls the Bishop of Rome the rock or specifically attributes to him the promise concerning the keys. … For the Church Fathers, the ‘rock’ is either Peter’s faith or the Lord in whom Peter believed, not Peter himself. All Church councils, from Nicaea in the 4th century to Constance in the 15th century, agree that Christ alone is the foundation of the Church—that He alone is the Rock on which God built His Church. … None of the Church Fathers writes about Peter passing his authority on to his successors. … There is no mention of a Petrine office. … Thus, the early Church did not regard Peter as the Bishop of Rome and did not consider every Bishop of Rome as Peter’s successor.”12

Christ, the Only Rock of the Church

Truth does not depend on a disputed interpretation of a few verses but on the entirety of Scripture. It is in the Bible that the symbol of the rock has, from the earliest times, been used exclusively in reference to God: “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (Psalm 18:2). Even God Himself asks rhetorically and answers: “Is there a God besides Me? Indeed, there is no other Rock; I know not one.” (Isaiah 44:8). The New Testament is even more precise, identifying Jesus Christ as the rock who accompanied the nation of Israel during their journey to the Promised Land: “All ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.” (1 Corinthians 10:3, 4)

Vicars of Christ?

The path to the primacy of the Bishop of Rome did not originate from the Apostle Peter, nor was it one of righteousness. The spirit revealed in these monarchial ambitions of the Roman bishops—the source of the idea of the Bishop of Rome’s primacy—was not, however, the spirit of Christ and the apostles.13 As the already quoted Catholic historian Peter de Rosa aptly observes: “Most Catholics never hear a bad word about any pope throughout their lives, neither at school nor in church. … Among them [the popes] were many married men who abandoned their wives and children in exchange for the papal office. Many were sons of priests, bishops, and popes; some were illegitimate children; one was a widower, another a former slave. Many were murderers, several were unbelievers. Some were hermits, a few heretics, sadists, and sodomites. Many committed simony to obtain the office and sold sacred treasures until the end of their lives. At least one worshiped Satan; some had children, others engaged in widespread immorality.”14

For Catholics, this is difficult to accept; however, the history of the papacy is a history of unrestrained lust for power, for which the Roman bishops were willing to resort to deceit, bribery, and even crimes.

The Hunger for Absolute and Global Power

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in AD 476, the papacy further strengthened its position. In its power struggle with the Bishop of Constantinople, the papacy was supported by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian the Great, who granted it undisputed supremacy over the entire Church. However, the papacy’s ambitions did not stop there. On the contrary, it also desired political independence, which led to the creation of the state. This came to fruition in AD 755 with the establishment of the Papal States, thanks to the support of the Frankish king Pepin the Short, son of Charles Martel. But the papacy did not settle for these achievements.

Rome aspired to absolute power. This ambition was already evident during the reign of Pope Leo III (AD 795-816), when he crowned Charlemagne, the Frankish king. However, the full realization of these ambitions had to wait until the pontificate of Gregory VII (AD 1073-1085), who, among other things, humiliated the German Emperor Henry IV and initiated a turning point in the Church’s relationship with the state. This pope issued the document “Dictatus Papae” in AD 1075, (which contained a list of theses outlining what evolved into or stated the presumed basis of the church’s/pope’s power) in which he outlined the papacy’s program aimed at achieving absolute power not only over the church and state but over the entire world.15 Among other things, it states: “Only the pope may use imperial insignia” (thesis 8). “Only he has the right to have rulers kiss his feet” (thesis 9). “Only the pope has the power to depose rulers” (thesis 12). “No one has the right to judge the pope” (thesis 19). “The Roman Church has never erred and never will err” (thesis 22). “The pope, canonically elected, undoubtedly becomes a saint” (thesis 23).16

Symbol of Papal Megalomania

The papal policy, carried out according to the papal ideology—that is, the supremacy of papal authority over secular power—was initiated by Pope Gregory VII and subsequently developed by his successors. The peak of papal power came during the reign of the most ambitious pope, Innocent III (1198–1216). The symbol of this pope’s authority became the tiara (the triple crown), representing ecclesiastical authority, judicial power, and dominion over the entire world.17 This is truly the pinnacle of papal arrogance and megalomania. As can be seen, the history of the papal Church is a continuous pursuit of dominion over the world. It is an endless series of Church-state alliances, always aimed at making secular power a tool serving to defend the interests of the Roman Church.

Union of State and Church

The nature of the papacy, its genetic code, is the unity of Church and state, throne and altar, kingdom and priesthood, religion and politics. The Papacy is indeed a strange, peculiar, mysterious entity. It constitutes the greatest and unique power in the history of humanity. The papal authority is global and imperial, while at the same time, the pope is an absolute monarch. His power spans all continents, races, and nations. The pope arrogates to himself the right to be the “head of the Church” and simultaneously is the sovereign of the Vatican City State. Therefore, it must be fully understood that the papacy has always been, is, and will be a total institution—exerting control over all aspects of a person’s life, behavior, sexuality, and even the state of a Catholic after death.

It is a system of power in which the pope holds the highest legislative, executive, and judicial authority. In modern Western organizations, an independent judiciary has long existed. In the Roman Catholic Church, nothing like this exists—the pope remains the head of this structure as an absolute monarch. The pope’s authority is practically unlimited, surpassing the authority of the Holy Scriptures and God’s commandments, which he interprets and changes at his discretion, as history and papal teachings demonstrate. It is enough to compare, for example, the version of God’s commandments in the Catholic catechism with the commandments of God as written in the Bible. For the pope, truth is only what he recognizes as truth.18 The dual identity of the papacy represents a formal union of Church and state, in which religious authority and political power are united in one person—the pope.

Therefore, the papacy reveals the nature of all empires that existed before it, whose common feature was the unity of religion and state. This applies to the Babylonian Empire, and of course to the Roman Empire, in which the emperor was simultaneously the highest priest of the pagan religion, bearing the title Pontifex Maximus. This title was, of course, inherited by the popes as successors of the Roman Caesars.19 The State of Vatican, or more precisely the so-called Apostolic See, is thus the only theocratic absolute monarchy in Europe. This form of government is entirely at odds with the principles of modern Western states, especially the USA, where the separation of Church and state is meant to guarantee both religious and civil freedom.

I will develop the topic of the papacy and its prophetic role in one of the upcoming issues of LandMarks.

Marcin Watras lives with his wife and two children in Katowice, Poland. He is interested in the philosophy of religion and trends in society.

Endnotes:

  1. vaticannews.va/pl/watykan/news/2025-03/rosnie-liczba-katolikow-na-swiecie-to-juz-ponad-1-4-mld.html, accessibility: 07.13.2025
  2. Peter de Rosa, Namiestnicy Chrystusa, Ciemna strona papiestwa, publishing house Total-Trade 1995, p. 19
  3. Grodzicki, G. Kotarbińska, M. Miller, Kościół dogmatów i tradycji, publishing house Nowa Reformacja 2017, p. 427
  4. Ibiden, p. 414
  5. Dave Hunt, Kobieta jadąca na bestii, publishing house Fundacja Świadome Chrześcijaństwo 2024, p. 133
  6. Grodzicki, G. Kotarbińska, M. Miller, Kościół dogmatów i tradycji, publishing house Nowa Reformacja 2017, pp. 393, 423, 424
  7. Ibiden, pp. 423, 424
  8. Peter de Rosa, Namiestnicy Chrystusa, publishing house Total-Trade 1995, p. 14
  9. Władysław Polok, Opoka Koscioła, publishing house Znaki Czasu, published April 2011, pp. 14, 15
  10. Grodzicki, G. Kotarbińska, M. Miller, Kościół dogmatów i tradycji, publishing house Nowa Reformacja 2017, p. 392
  11. Władysław Polok, Opoka Koscioła, publishing house Znaki Czasu, published April 2011, p. 15
  12. Peter de Rosa, Namiestnicy Chrystusa, publishing house Total-Trade 1995, pp. 30-32
  13. Grodzicki, G. Kotarbińska, M. Miller, Kościół dogmatów i tradycji, publishing house Nowa Reformacja 2017, p. 420
  14. Peter de Rosa, Namiestnicy Chrystusa, Ciemna strona papiestwa, publishing house Total-Trade 1995, p. 36
  15. Grodzicki, G. Kotarbińska, M. Miller, Kościół dogmatów i tradycji, publishing house Nowa Reformacja 2017, pp. 427-432
  16. Dictatus papae, https://silesia.edu.pl/index.php/Dictatus_papae_Grzegorza_VII_z_1075_roku, accessibility: 07.16.2025
  17. Grodzicki, G. Kotarbińska, M. Miller, Kościół dogmatów i tradycji, publishing house Nowa Reformacja 2017, p. 434
  18. Ibiden, pp. 443-445
  19. Jonatan Dunkel, Apokalipsa, publishing house Orion plus 2001, p. 99

Escaping the Trap

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Every single person in the world has the opportunity to be saved because Jesus paid the price for our sins. Since that is the case, why does the Bible tell us that the number of people who will not be saved is as the sand of the sea? (see Revelation 20).

The devil has many traps set for us in this world, but let’s look at one specific trap that will cause you to forfeit eternal life. Have you already been caught in this trap? How would you know? If so, is there any way to get out?

“Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord!” Amos 5:18, first part. These are the people who are looking for Jesus to come, and the prophet says, “Woe.” “For what good is the day of the Lord to you? It will be darkness, and not light. It will be as though a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him! Or as though he went into the house, leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him! Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light? Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it?” Verses 18, last part–20

“A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare [trap] of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.” 2 Timothy 2:24–26

The devil’s traps are very successful, and as we study what is soon to come upon the world, we will see that our entire Western civilization is caught in a trap, though totally unaware of it. Let me share a real-life example.

Linda* asked to speak with me about her adult daughter, with whom she had opposite political views. While Linda tried to persuade her daughter to be open to other things, her daughter had no interest in doing so. Linda didn’t want to lose her daughter over politics, so they finally agreed not to talk about it; in essence, they agreed to disagree. So, here’s the question: How is it that her daughter’s worldview is so diametrically opposed to Linda’s worldview?

The problem with this situation is this: If a civilization is going to survive, it must be able to transfer its value system—its worldview—from one generation to the next. If it cannot, it will cease to exist, and a different civilization will take its place. Linda’s experience is not an isolated occurrence; we see it happening right now in the United States.

Both the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy predicted this situation during the end times. “By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy [Sunday laws] in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. 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.” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, 451

T. Jones wrote Two Republics. Republican governments have been rare in the history of the world. Rome began as a republic and so did the United States—Jones’ two republics. Our government is based on and operates as Rome did when it was a republic. Both republics had a senate comprised of elected senators, and as a republic, there would be no monarchy, no king. Today, we often hear one group of people refer to the United States as a democracy, while another group refers to it as a republic. Is there a difference? The Merriam-Webster dictionary indicates that the two words have been used interchangeably since the late 1700s. The founding fathers who established the original 13 colonies and wrote the Constitution of the United States—which is based on certain moral and religious principles—saw no distinctive difference in the meaning of the two words. In the 1700s, both words meant “the power to govern is held by the people rather than a monarch.”

Democracy originates from the Greek roots, meaning “rule by the people,” where the people vote directly in favor of or against decisions, policies, laws, and other matters. Regardless of whether we speak of a direct democracy or a representative democracy, they both mean “government by the people.” Republic originates from the Latin roots meaning “public good” or “public affair.” Republic, simply put, means “state” or “country.” Democracy is most frequently used to emphasize a system, while a republic is the concrete result of that system. The term democratic republic is also used to describe the United States government. A democratic republic is a system that combines elements of both a democracy and a republic. And while the government—be it a democracy, a republic, or a democratic republic—is run by elected representatives of the citizenry, the citizens themselves hold authority and power. The representatives may wield the power, but that ability is granted to them by a simple vote of the people, and can be lost at the next election.

Neither of these words is included in the Declaration of Independence. Yet, this document clearly expresses that governments—our government—should be and are established “deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” It would seem that the shared meaning of these two words matters far more than their differences.

Source: merriam-webster.com/grammar/democracy-and-republic; governmentvs.com/en/what-is-democratic-republic/ model-41-0

As Americans, as long as we respect and uphold the Constitution and its principles, we will have a Protestant form of government. We move through time, passing our worldview, philosophy, and value system from one generation to the next. However, Mrs. White tells us that every principle of our Constitution will be repudiated. Why would that be? Suppose we are unable to pass the worldview, philosophy, and value system of the current generation to the next. As each generation comes and goes, the value system changes. In that case, the worldview becomes skewed, and subsequent generations will completely reject the moral and religious principles of the generations who came before them. We see it in the news, in our neighborhoods, on the job, even in our churches. The farther the generations go from the principles of their elders, the more wicked the world becomes.

It was, and is, God’s purpose that His children would pass on their values and worldview, through their children, to the next generation. “For I [the Lord] have known him [Abraham], in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.” Genesis 18:19. And God tells us concerning Abraham that he “obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.” Genesis 26:5. Abraham was obedient to the word of God and His commandments, and he commanded his children after him, just as God designed, that they should live and learn and have the same worldview that he had.

“ ‘This is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the Lord your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, that you may fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. … You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.’ ” Deuteronomy 6:1, 2, 5–9

A few hundred years before the coming of Christ, it became fashionable for young Jewish men to travel to Alexandria, Egypt, to obtain a higher education. This higher education was based on Greek philosophy. What is philosophy? “The love of wisdom.” “A systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, value, mind, and language.” Over time, philosophy became an advanced study of speculative subjects like logic and ethics. (wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy).

The average person today has no idea of the significant influence Greek philosophy has had on our entire civilization in the United States. Two examples can be found in the sports and entertainment industries. The Bible talks about the races which became, over time, our present-day Olympics (1 Corinthians 9:24, 25). The Greeks also built the first theaters and conducted plays—dramas, comedies, and tragedies. Today, we see this influence on Broadway and off-Broadway, in movie theaters, and on television, and the internet.

As the Jewish youth studied philosophy, they began to interpret the Bible differently. You see, the thing about philosophy is that it doesn’t matter if something is or isn’t. Philosophy enables the student to show that something can have many different meanings. So, by the time Christ came to this world, we find the establishment of the Sadducees who didn’t believe in angels or demons, heaven or hell, or the resurrection. They valued debate and philosophical discussion. And it was their adherence to philosophy that, in some measure, was influential in the Jewish nation’s rejection of Jesus Christ as the Messiah. A very clever trap, set by the devil, that cost the Jewish nation, after they crucified Christ, the privilege of being God’s chosen and favored people. And the devil is laying this same trap for you and me.

“The Lord presented before Israel the results of holding communion with evil spirits, in the abominations of the Canaanites: they were without natural affection, idolaters, adulterers, murderers, and abominable by every corrupt thought and revolting practice. Men do not know their own hearts; for ‘the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.’ Jeremiah 17:9. But God understands the tendencies of the depraved nature of man. Then, as now, Satan was watching to bring about conditions favorable to rebellion, that the people of Israel might make themselves as abhorrent to God as were the Canaanites. The adversary of souls is ever on the alert to open channels for the unrestrained flow of evil in us; for he desires that we may be ruined, and be condemned before God.

“Satan was determined to keep his hold on the land of Canaan, and when it was made the habitation of the children of Israel, and the law of God was made the law of the land, he hated Israel with a cruel and malignant hatred and plotted their destruction. Through the agency of evil spirits strange gods were introduced; and because of transgression, the chosen people were finally scattered from the land of promise. This history Satan is striving to repeat in our day.”

“God is leading His people out from the abominations of the world, that they may keep His law; and because of this, the rage of ‘the accuser of our brethren’ knows no bounds. ‘The devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.’ Revelation 12:10, 12.

“The anti-typical land of promise [heaven] is just before us, and Satan is determined to destroy the people of God and cut them off from their inheritance.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 688, 689

You and I don’t know how bad we are, but God does. God knows man’s natural heart and He has both the desire and the power to complete the transformation necessary in the heart of man to restore him once again into His own image.

Evil spirits are taking over our world, and almost no one recognizes it. Satan laid the trap for man then, and he is working to do it again now; with very successful results. He is determined to cut you off from the eternal inheritance that Jesus bought for you with His life.

What is the Trap and How Does It Work?

The Spirit of Prophecy is very clear that we must have a true understanding of the true science of education.

“ ‘Now, as never before, we need to understand the true science of education. If we fail to understand this, we shall never have a place in the kingdom of God.’ ” The Christian Educator, August 1, 1897

Studies in Christian Education, written by E. A. Sutherland, a pioneer and Adventist educator, compiles quotations from the Spirit of Prophecy regarding the true science of education.

“A brief survey of the history of the Protestant denominations shows that their spiritual downfall in 1844 was the result of their failure ‘to understand the true science of education.’ Their failure to understand and to practice the Christian education unfitted them to proclaim to the world the message of Christ’s second coming. … The Protestant denomination could not give the third angel’s message, a reform movement, which is a warning against the beast and his image, because they were still clinging to those doctrines and those principles of education which themselves form the beast and his image. It is important that … Seventh-day Adventists study seriously the causes of the spiritual decline of these churches in 1844, lest we repeat their history, and be cast aside by the Spirit of God, and thus lose our place in the kingdom. …” Op. cit. 5, 6

“It was the desire for liberty of conscience that inspired the Pilgrims to brave the perils of the long journey across the sea, to endure the hardships and dangers of the wilderness, and with God’s blessing to lay, on the shores of America, the foundation of a mighty nation. … “The Bible was held as the foundation of faith, the source of wisdom, and the charter of liberty. Its principles were diligently taught in the home, in the school, and in the church, and its fruits were manifest in thrift, intelligence, purity and temperance. … It was demonstrated that the principles of the Bible are the surest safeguards to national greatness.” The Great Controversy, 292, 296

What you spend your time studying is what you will really believe. If you spend two hours a week studying the Bible, but ten hours studying Greek philosophy, which will you look to as the source of wisdom?

He Prepared a Place

“The Puritans had joined themselves together by a solemn covenant as the Lord’s free people, ‘to walk together in all His ways made known or to be made known to them.’ Here was the true spirit of reform, the vital principle of Protestantism. (Ibid., 291.)” Op. cit., 7, 8

Why did the Pilgrims Flee to This Country?

“The order of Jesuits found its special mission in combatting the Reformation. As the most effective means of arresting the progress of Protestantism, it aimed at controlling education. ‘It developed an immense educational activity’ in Protestant countries, ‘and earned for its schools a great reputation. … More than any other agency it stayed the progress of the Reformation and it even succeeded in winning back territory already conquered by Protestantism. … It worked chiefly through its schools, of which it established and controlled large numbers. … Every member of the order became a competent and practical teacher.’ (A History of Education, 167–169).” Op. cit., 15

The Protestant Reformation was halted, and the Roman Catholic Church won back more than half of its advance throughout Europe. Protestantism appeared to be dying. But the Lord prepared the New World and sent the Pilgrims, who believed the Bible was the source of all wisdom, the charter of liberty, and the only foundation of religion (sola scriptura), to establish a nation based on Republicanism, Protestantism, and the principles of the Bible.

Only as Good as Your Memory

How did the Jesuits teach? “ ‘The memory was cultivated as a means of keeping down free activity of thought and clearness of judgment.’ (The Philosophy of Education, Karl Rosenkranz, 270, 271).’ ” Op. cit. 16

“For ages education has had to do chiefly with the memory. …

“The education that consists in the training of the memory, tending to dis[1]courage independent thought, has a moral bearing which is too little appreciated. As the student sacrifices the power to reason and judge for himself, he becomes incapable of discriminating between truth and error, and falls an easy prey to deception. He is easily led to follow tradition and custom.” Education, 230

Do you see the problem? Primarily memorizing things makes a person an easy prey to deception. Easily led to follow tradition and custom, he cannot discern between good and evil, allowing others to control him. This is the Jesuit system of education.

“ ‘In the place of self-government, “their [the Jesuits’] method of discipline was a system of mutual distrust, espionage and informing. Implicit obedience relieved the pupils from all responsibility as to the moral justification of their deeds.” ’ (The Philosophy of Education, Karl Rosenkranz, 270, 271)…

“ ‘Originality and independence of mind, love of truth for its own sake, the power of reflecting, and of forming correct judgments, were not merely neglected, they were suppressed in the Jesuits’ system.’ (A History of Education, 171–173).” Op. cit., 16

“ ‘How was it that the church of Rome, having lost a large part of Eu[1]rope, not only ceased to lose, but actually regained nearly half of what she had lost? This is certainly a most curious and important question.’ ” Op. cit., 18

What is Happening Today?

“She [the church of Rome] is determined to conquer and bring back humiliated, broken down, and completely subjugated, the Protestant denominations. She has everywhere, through her Jesuit teachers, editors, and public officials, men at work to fashion public sentiment, to capture the important and controlling positions of government and most of all, to obtain control through her teachers of the minds of Protestant children and youth. She values that eternal principle, and makes use of it. …

“The secret of the rejection of the Protestant denominations in 1844 is contained in the educational history just given. … while they clung to the forms of Protestantism, their educational system continually instilled into the student the life of the Papacy. This produced a form of Protestantism imbued with the Papal spirit. This spells Babylon.

“Certain divine ideas of reform in civil government were received from God by some men in this country during the days of the wounding of the Papacy. These men dared teach and practice these truths. They fostered true principles of civil government to such an extent that the third angel’s message could be delivered under its shelter. But the Papal system of education, as operated by Protestant churches, was a constant menace to this civil reform, because the churches would not break away from the medieval classical course with the granting of degrees and honors—without which it is difficult for aristocracy and imperialism in either church or state to thrive. … The civil reformers repudiated all crowns, titles, and honors that would have perpetuated European aristocracy and imperialism. The churches, because they still clung to the Papal educational system, became responsible, not only for the spirit of the Papacy within themselves, but also for the return of imperialism now so plainly manifesting itself in our government, and especially noticeable in such tendencies toward centralization as the trusts, monopolies and unions.” Op. cit., 20, 22, 23

How Will You Relate to This?

“Assimilation is a law of human nature.” The Upward Look, 123

What does that mean? Assimilate means to “absorb or integrate into a wider society or culture.” What you take in becomes part of your worldview, your value system, and your character.

In the world today, it is necessary to train and develop skills so a person can earn a living. But in the process of learning these needed skills, almost unconsciously, people are learning a lot of something else. What are they learning? According to the law of assimilation, the person takes in the value system, worldview, and philosophy of their teacher, classmates, boss, coworkers, and others with whom they associate, changing their philosophy, standards, and values. The teachers who teach today were taught yesterday by other teachers, who were trained by others, and so on.

In the 19th century, Charles Darwin wrote The Origin of the Species. The devil has used this book to deceive a large number of mankind into believing that there is no God, and that there was no creation. Almost the entire educational world teaches the theory of evolution. How did Charles Darwin come up with the theory of evolution?

“After taking part in the witchcraft ceremonies, not only was his [Charles Darwin’s] mind affected but his body also. “It is not commonly known that Charles Darwin, while a naturalist aboard the Beagle, was initiated into witchcraft in South America by nationals. During horseback travels into the interior, he took part in their ceremonies and, as a result something happened to him. Upon his return to England, although his health was strangely weakened, he spent the rest of his life working on theories to destroy faith in the Creator.” The Evolution Cruncher, Vance Ferrell, 25, 26

What happens to you when you start taking part in witchcraft ceremonies? Evil spirits take control of your mind. You believe you came up with the idea, but it came from evil spirits, and these evil theories are taught in universities all over the world, destroying faith in the Bible. If evolution is true, then the Bible is a fiction. But as Christians, we know that the Bible is the truth, thus making the theory of evolution and other topics of study generated by evil spirits fiction.

“In the study of language and literature from what fountains are the youth taught to drink?—From the wells of paganism; from springs fed by the corruptions of ancient heathendom. They are bidden to study authors, of whom, without dispute, it is declared that they have no regard for the principles of morality. …

“Besides these there is a multitude of fiction writers.” Education, 226, 227

Take, for example, the Harry Potter books. People think that the books are fiction and good entertainment. However, everything that enters the mind is education, and evil spirits teach a great deal of the education provided in the world today.

In the book Harry Potter and the Bible: The Menace Behind the Magick (Richard Abanes), it says, “Any time the dark side of the supernatural world is presented as harmless or even imaginary there is the danger that children will become curious and find too late that witchcraft is neither harmless nor imaginary. In a culture with an obvious trend toward witchcraft and New Age ideology, parents need to consider the effect that these ideas may have on young and impressionable minds.”

The civilization of our forefathers—belief in the principles of the U.S. Constitution—is being destroyed, and a civilization based on Greek philosophy, the errors of Egypt, and the Canaanites is developing.

How Do I Get Out?

If the Holy Spirit has revealed to you that you are caught in this trap, is there a way out? Praise God, my friend, there is. We must reject the world’s philosophies and immerse ourselves in the study of God’s word. Many who have received their education, including masters or doctorate degrees, through the false educational system of the world, still maintain a primitive faith in the word of God. How did they keep this faith? The answer is always the same. They recognize that there was something wrong with what they were being taught, and they would spend two or more hours a day praying and studying the Bible.

“Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep Your precepts.” Psalm 119:97–100

Friends, if you think more like a Greek philosopher than like a Bible-believing Christian, take out the book and study it from cover to cover. Study the life of Jesus and ask the Lord to impress these words of truth on your mind that you may escape the devil’s trap. *not her real name

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

What is Important?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*Not her real name