Archives: Articles

IssueM Articles

Children’s Story – Pinewood Derby

by

My eight year old son, Gilbert, had been in Cub Scouts only a short time. During one of his meetings, he was handed a sheet of paper, a block of wood and four tires, and told to return home and give all of these things to “Dad.”

That was not an easy task for Gilbert, as his dad was not receptive to doing things with his son. But Gilbert tried. Dad read the paper and scoffed at the idea of making a pinewood derby car with his young, eager son. The block of wood remained untouched as the weeks passed.

Finally, I stepped in to see if I could figure this all out. The project began. Having no carpentry skills, I decided it would be best if I simply read the directions and let Gilbert do the work. And he did. I read aloud the measurements, the rules of what we could and could not do, and Gilbert applied himself to the task.

Within days his block of wood was turning into a pinewood derby car. It was a little lopsided, but looking great, at least through the eyes of Mom. Gilbert had not seen any of the other children’s cars and was feeling pretty proud of his “Blue Lightning,” the pride that comes with knowing that you did something on your own.

Then the big night came. With his blue car clutched in his hand, and pride in his heart, we headed to the big race. Once there, my little one’s pride turned to humility. Gilbert’s car was obviously the only car made entirely on his own. All the other cars were a father-son partnership, with cool paint jobs and sleek body styles made for speed.

A few of the boys giggled as they looked at Gilbert’s lopsided, wobbly, unattractive vehicle. To add to the humility, Gilbert was the only boy without a man at his side. A couple of the boys who were from single parent homes at least had an uncle or grandfather with them. Gilbert had only his mom.

The race was done in elimination fashion. Each child kept racing their car as long as they were the winner. One by one the cars raced down the smoothly sanded ramp. Finally, all had been eliminated except Gilbert’s little car and the sleekest, fastest-looking car there.

As the last race was about to begin, my wide-eyed, shy eight-year-old, asked if they could stop the race for a minute, because he wanted to pray. The race stopped. Gilbert went to his knees, clutching his funny-looking block of wood between his hands. With a wrinkled brow he set to converse with his Father. He prayed in earnest for a very long minute and a half. Then he stood, smile on his face, and announced, “Okay, I am ready.”

As the crowd cheered, a boy named Tommy stood with his father as their car sped down the ramp. Gilbert stood with his Father within his heart, and watched his little block of wood wobble down the ramp with surprisingly great speed, rushing over the finish line a fraction of a second before Tommy’s car.

Gilbert leaped into the air with a loud shout, “Thank You!” as the crowd roared in approval. The Scout Master came up to Gilbert, microphone in hand, and asked the obvious question, “So you prayed to win, huh, Gilbert?”

To which my young son replied, “Oh, no sir! That wouldn’t be fair to ask God to help you beat someone else. I just asked Him to make it so I wouldn’t cry when I lost.”

Children seem to have a wisdom far beyond us. Gilbert did not ask God to win the race; he did not ask God to fix the outcome. He simply asked God to give him strength in the outcome. When Gilbert first saw the other cars, he did not cry out to God, “No fair! They had a father’s help!” No, he went to his Father for strength.

Perhaps we spend too much of our prayer time asking God to rig the race, to make us number one, or too much time asking God to remove us from the struggle, when we should be seeking God’s strength to get through the struggle. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13.

Gilbert’s simple prayer spoke volumes to those present that night. He never doubted that God would indeed answer his request. He did not pray to win, thus hurt somebody else; he prayed that God would supply the grace to lose with dignity. Gilbert, by stopping the race to speak to his Father, also showed the crowd that he was not there without a “dad” but that his Father was most definitely there with him.

Yes, Gilbert walked away a winner that night, with his Father at his side. May we all learn to pray as he did.

Be Ye Holy in all Manner of Conversation

by

“Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:13–16.

“The apostle Peter here gives instruction for believers to gird up the loins of their minds. We are to have special care over the thoughts of the mind. We are not to allow our minds to be diverted and allured by different things, because there is something more important for us. If we would allow the mind to take its natural turn, it might dwell upon unimportant things and we receive no benefit thereby.

“Here is presented before us the one great event—the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, when the graves are to be opened and the dead be raised, and we are to be changed. This event should fill our mind and crowd out everything else. We want to make the most of the privileges and opportunities we have to prepare for the future immortal life.

“The truth of God has taken us out of the quarry of the world to fit us up for the heavenly temple of God. We may look upon one another and think, ‘There is a great work to be done for that brother and for that sister,’ but we may not take into consideration the work that is to be done for ourselves. And if Satan can get in among the people [and produce] a spirit of criticism, then he is satisfied, for a root of bitterness springs up in these [members] wherewith he will be satisfied. We are not all of the same character, but we are brought together in church capacity and we count ourselves as children of God, and we talk of having a home in the city of God.

“Our faith is that if we perfect a Christian character we shall be numbered as the family of God in the mansions that He has gone to prepare for us. Now, our heavenly father brings us together in church capacity that we may gain in knowledge and be fitting up for the community of heaven. ‘Well,’ some may say, ‘All I want is that everyone should see eye to eye.’ But there are those who want everyone to see just as they do. They do not consider that they have traits of character that must be changed. Then, what is the work before us in order to be ready to be among those who are waiting for their Lord to come in the clouds of heaven? It is for us to be in a position of humility before God. ‘Gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.’

“The Lord has not placed before one individual the trade of becoming a church tinker, but we want individually to feel that we have a responsibility before God to be a blessing to everyone with whom we associate. And we are to consider that every brother and sister is the purchase of the blood of Christ. Here we are, living stones out of the quarry, and we are to be chiseled and fitted for the new Jerusalem. Do not let any of us think that we are all right. As soon as we are taken out of the quarry, we have a work to do for ourselves. ‘The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh,’ and we want to be considering those things that will give us solidity of character. We do not want to have a high estimate of ourselves, but we want to esteem others better than ourselves. We want that our souls shall be uplifted to God every moment for help, for fear we shall fall. And while some are so diligent to look after others, they will forget the work there is for their own soul.

“We are to heed the exhortation of the apostle, that we are to be holy in all manner of conversation. And as we separate those things from us which will be a hindrance to our advancement, the Holy Spirit will come in. We want to be filled with the spirit of Jesus, and if you are not closely connected with Christ, then the thoughts of your mind will be upon unimportant things; but if you are connected with Jesus, you will just as surely be a channel of light as Jesus is light, for Jesus has said to His followers, ‘Ye are the light of the world.’

“Now, we are by living faith to keep our eyes fixed upon the Author and Finisher of our faith. ‘As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation.’

“Before we become acquainted with Jesus, the conversation is upon the dress, and what shall we eat, and what shall we drink, and what shall we wear? And we find fault with one another. But as soon as we become acquainted with Christ, our conversation changes.

“Here we are, objects of His love. Has the change taken place in us? Namely, have we passed from death unto life? Have we died indeed to self? Have we fastened our hearts and affections upon the great God? He is all light and power.

“Every provision has been made for us that can be made by our precious Saviour, that we may have that abundant grace so that we may overcome every defect in our character. And we cannot afford to satisfy ourselves in this life, but we want the fullness that is in Jesus, and we must train ourselves to talk of those things which will bring to us peace and light. As we have our conversation upon heaven and heavenly things, the angels of God are all around us; and when we are, in our thoughts and with our hearts, drawing near to God, then He is drawing nigh to us. His love is in our hearts, and then we speak it from our lips.

“It is not only our duty to train our minds upon heavenly things, but we are to talk of these things, for it is our duty to bind about our mind, to gird up the loins of our mind, and say, ‘I will not think of these things.’ Then it is our duty to guard our conversation.

“We would think, from the shadow that many walk in, that they had no Saviour. But I want to speak to those, and say ‘Christ is risen! He is not in Joseph’s new tomb, but He has arisen and has ascended up on high to make intercession for us!’ We have a risen Saviour interceding for us, and we must walk in harmony with God. He is seeking to ‘purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.’ If we seek with all our hearts to be obedient children, conforming our will to the will of God, then the work can go forward in us without interruption. Let us not forget for one moment that we are living for the future immortal life, and let us put away from us everything like complaint and faultfinding. Let our words, our conversation, reveal to the world that we have a hope that is big with immortality.

“We want that His will shall be our will. We do not want that our will shall be such that it will control all that around us.…

“God wants us to go through the mill. Here this man’s sharp character must be burnished off, and here is one who has taken hold of the truth who has always been coarse in his conversation, and he must overcome that. This is the very thing the apostle means when he says, ‘You must overcome in order to have a home in heaven.’ Jesus must be in my whole work to transform my character. We must accept the truth as it is in Jesus, and then how kind will we be to one another, how courteous, for this was the work of my Master. We shall see the precious mold of Jesus upon the character, and when we learn the precious lessons He has for us to learn, we will be like Jesus. ‘Come unto Me,’ says He, ‘all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.’

“Here you are with your variances and differences. Now, ‘Come to Me,’ says He, ‘and learn of Me.’…”

Sermons and Talks, Book 1, 40–43.

Blessed is the Man

by

“To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne.” Revelation 3:21.

The other evening as I was working at my computer, I became aware of something gently flickering in the darkness outside my window. When I turned the lights off, what I saw held me in wonder for quite some minutes. There is a laurel hedge at the bottom of our garden and each glossy leaf, as it was stirred in the breeze, was catching the light of the full moon. The effect was of hundreds of little silver lights flickering in the darkness. Suddenly I realized that this full moon was the Passover moon, and it was under this same moon that Christ knelt in Gethsemane. In His anguish, His face showed no beauty that we should desire Him, and His body knelt clutching the cold ground with no form or comeliness that would appeal to us. From His face there fell great drops of sweat consisting of blood.

Alone

For so much of His life Christ had thought of others, but on this night He prayed for Himself. “‘Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from Me: nevertheless not My will, but Thine, be done.’” Luke 22:42. At this point, His life was almost crushed from Him. He had asked for human company to support Him as He had supported them, but they slept. He bore this anguish alone. They had noted nothing more than that He had become “sorrowful and very heavy.” Matthew 26:37. “Not My will, but Thine, be done” was the cry of His heart. Three times He prayed this prayer, but each was preceded by the greatest struggle of His life; His own will in opposition to that of His father.

Above Him, did the olive leaves flicker with the same little silver lights in the moonlight? Was there beauty in nature even while our Saviour, on the ground beneath, fought the greatest of battles? “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame.…”

Do you even begin to understand this experience in your own life? It is not an experience that can be quietly and calmly undertaken, something to be ticked off as another victory over temptation—a clinical step on the Christian road. There may be times when we have overcome and we can look back on our lives with praise to God for victories won, but in each life there is the big problem, the one that keeps returning time and again. What about victory over this? The habits of a lifetime have wrapped their silken threads around us and to break free requires a different experience.

We Must Also Face Our Gethsemane

The Holy Spirit is working with each one of us and leading us to this point. This means we have to face our Gethsemane too. We have to face squarely our temptations, also.

What held Christ in submission to His Father’s will? He knew the purpose for His life; He knew the time on the clock of the Great Controversy—the prophecies that were to be fulfilled in Him, the salvation of the world that lay in those decisions. Is it any different for us? Do we know the time in which our struggles take place? Do we know the prophecies that are to be fulfilled in us? This last generation, us, today, who could be alive to see Jesus come, is the generation that the angels and the prophets have awaited through the years. The three great powers of heaven, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, have worked for this moment in time, a time when all the strands of all ages of prophecy and salvation history will be gathered together and an end can be made of sin.

The character of God has been maligned through many centuries. All heaven is looking to us. Will we do it? Or will the challenge have to pass to another generation to reveal the character of God before the universe and demonstrate the miracle of God’s power in the weakest of human lives? Does God ask the impossible? In this, potentially the greatest of earth’s history, where are we? Do we know what it means to call ourselves a follower of Christ? Are we overcomers with Christ?

What is Your Purpose?

Unless we see the greatness of our purpose and the time in which we live, all our thought patterns will not be strong enough or focused enough to see the temptation and the sin to which it leads, with all its consequences for God and for ourselves. We have the records of Bible characters to show us how they responded to God’s will. Daniel “purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself.” Daniel 1:8. The three Hebrew young men “trusted in Him…and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.” Daniel 3:28. Ezra, who knew what it was to have the good hand of his God upon him, had “prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it.” Ezra 7:10. These men knew what rested on their lives, in their time.

One of the laws of life is that we have to yield our wishes, our desires, our lusts, and our toys, now, for the greater good of a godly character and an eternal outcome. We cannot live in both spheres at the same time. This is what it means to be a hypocrite, and the world recognizes this state very quickly. Jesus says to us, in these grand and awful times, “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” Matthew 16:24. This involves the initial struggle and yielding to God, to be followed by a life of cross bearing.

Victory Today—More Battles Tomorrow

The devil does not leave us after the first great victory. He returns again and again, and we have to choose and choose and choose again—on rainy days, on sick days, on bad, hormonal days, and on pressurized days.

When our lives are still bound around with those threads of habit, and yet another fine thread continues to attach us to the world, our consciences can be confused. We argue in our hearts and the whole situation is unclear. Justifications for our actions come very readily to our minds, and often we act on those without another thought. Through the Holy Spirit, whose task it is to convict of sin, the day comes for each of us when we long to be clean and have done with the wrongdoing. As we take our courage and go before the Lord to ask for freedom from these shackles of confusion, the power and pleading of the Holy Spirit fills our hearts.

The big choice to be made cannot now be mistaken. There are many smaller choices each day, but when the crucial one comes, we recognize it. The Holy Spirit has shown us clearly what it is that must be denied. What will be our response? It is so easy to say what we will do when we are not in the struggle, but we must prepare our hearts to say a clear and strong NO. During the temptation there is just a little gap, enough to allow us to gather our thoughts and find the perspective we need to be able to say NO. God will not allow us to be overcome and swept away without the ability to choose. Even during this time the devil will try to send confusion of thought. It is at this time that we need to talk to the Lord earnestly and ask, is this the situation you want me to overcome; is this the time you want me to say NO; is this plan of action the one that will keep me out of sin; please make it clear for me, and please give me the power that you have promised. This is not a crisis to cope with alone in human will power, but the occasion to talk to the Lord, second by second, and follow His guidance. His power will not say that NO for you, but it will make it possible for you to walk away without a backward thought, or to throw it away, when you have made the firm and purposeful decision to say NO.

Cutting the Threads that Bind

This process is a cutting of one of the threads that binds us. It hurts. There may be clenched fists, tight shoulders, quickened shallow breathing, sweat breaking out into clammy hands. All of us, deep inside, want it just one more time, and we know we should say NO. But to say NO, talking to God all the time, and claiming verses of Scripture—”make not provision for the lusts of the flesh,” “whatsoever He saith unto you do it.” “let a man deny himself,” “he that overcometh shall inherit all things,” “blessed is the man that endureth temptation.” (See Romans 13:14; John 2:5; Luke 9:23; Revelation 21:7; James 1:12.) We may have only split seconds to think like this, but it is a time of intense mental activity between heaven and earth, between the will of God and our desires, between the Holy Spirit and our decision. “Not My will, but Thine, be done.” At these times the three great powers of heaven, and ministering angels are on our side, but we must make the decision for ourselves. That is the dignity of humankind. We have a choice.

When the choice is made and our heart rests, after the activity, on the side of the Lord, what a peace is ours—and quietness, humility, and exhaustion, too. As we look back on the past few seconds, we know how easily we could have chosen the other way, the way that would have brought dishonor to God. But we have faced the “big one,” and we have overcome. Can you imagine the singing and the rejoicing in heaven? We forget that! Heaven and earth are very close at such times. We may experience tears, but heaven sings!

That gap, for thinking time, is very small, but this is one of the reasons that God shows us a healthier lifestyle, with more fresh fruit and vegetables, clear water to drink, exercise in the sunshine and fresh air. Good sleep is essential too. Can you respond quickly in times of drowsiness and lethargy? A clear mind, the health gifts of God’s creation and a will that we have given to God in advance and asked Him to strengthen, will divinely lengthen that split second gap and make our NO more firm. Every victory is one cord broken, and another habit pattern begun. We are one step nearer the Second Coming of Jesus and the vindication of His character, as the miracle of grace is seen by men and angels, and additional power is given to the Gospel words we speak.

When Jesus Comes—The Tempter’s Power is Broken

For now, the victory is won, but it is easy to relax too far. The devil will soon be back, and he will come again and again. This is the reason we must carry the cross of self-denial as long as we live in this world. But when Jesus comes, the power of the devil will be gone forever. The burden will be lifted from us, and we will not have to make those constant choices. It is then that we shall be able to sing of deliverance, the song of Moses and the Lamb. It will be a song that the angels cannot sing; it will be uniquely ours. Will you make that decision today? The decision that you will meet the “big one” when the next temptation comes, and that you will take up your cross and follow the Saviour until He comes?

“‘Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him.’” James 1:12.

God’s Word is Forever

by

The law of God is immutable in its character, for ‘it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than for one tittle of the law to fail.’ The law of God is a revelation of the divine will, a transcript of the divine character, and must forever endure. Not one command has been annulled; not a jot or a tittle of the law has been changed. The Psalmist says, ‘Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven.’ ‘All His commandments are sure. They stand fast forever and ever.’ In the very bosom of the Decalogue is the fourth commandment, as it was proclaimed:—

“‘Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.’”

“The claim so often put forth that Christ changed the Sabbath is disproved by His own words. In the Sermon on the Mount He said: ‘Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in nowise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.…’ Both by precept and example the Saviour taught the sacred obligations of the Sabbath commandment. Throughout His ministry upon earth no small share of His teaching was directed toward instructing men as to what was lawful to do upon the Sabbath day. . .

“Jesus said at the close of His earthly ministry, ‘I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love.’ Neither the Saviour nor His followers ever broke the law of the Sabbath.…

Christ Wants us to Remember the Sabbath

“Christ not only honored the Sabbath throughout His life upon earth, but He provided that its sacred claims should be remembered and honored after His death and resurrection. When warning His disciples of the destruction of Jerusalem, which did not take place until forty years after His ascension, He said, ‘But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day.…’ In accordance with His instruction, the followers of Christ were enabled to depart from the besieged city, and escape to the mountains, not taking their flight either in the winter, nor upon the Sabbath day. After the death of Christ, the disciples ‘rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment.’ After the ascension of Christ, Paul, the great apostle to the Gentiles, preached to both Jews and Gentiles ‘on the Sabbath day.’

“Then how can we account for the observance of the first day of the week by the majority of professed Christians, when the Bible presents no authority for this change, either in the precepts or in the example of Christ or His followers? We can account for it in the fact that the world has followed the traditions of men instead of a ‘Thus saith the Lord.’ This has been the work that Satan has always sought to accomplish,—lead men away from the commandments of God to the veneration and obedience of the traditions of the world. Through human instrumentalities he [Satan] has cast contempt upon the Sabbath of Jehovah, and has stigmatized it as ‘the old Jewish Sabbath.’ Thousands have thoughtlessly echoed this reproach, as though it were something to which was attached great weight of argument; but they have lost sight of the fact that the Jewish people were especially chosen of God as the guardians of His truth, the keepers of His law, the depositary of His sacred oracles. They received the lively oracles to give unto us. The Old and New Testaments both came to us through the Jews. Every promise in the Bible, every ray of light which has shone upon us from the word of God, has come through the Jewish nation.

The Sabbath is Not a Jewish Day

“Christ…came as a descendant of Abraham. Shall we use the same argument concerning the Bible and Christ, and reject them as Jewish, as is done in rejecting the Sabbath of the Lord our God? But the Sabbath is not Jewish in its origin. It was instituted in Eden before there were such a people known as the Jews. The Sabbath was made for all mankind, and was instituted in Eden before the fall of man. The Creator called it ‘My holy day.’ Christ announced Himself as ‘the Lord of the Sabbath.’ Beginning with creation, it is as old as the human race, and having been made for man it will exist as long as man shall exist. Hallowed by the Creator’s rest and blessing, the Sabbath was kept by Adam in his innocence in holy Eden, by Adam fallen, yet repentant, when he was driven from his happy estate. It was kept by all the patriarchs.…

“From that day to this…Christ has given no hint that the seventh-day Sabbath has ever been or ever could be changed, and no apostolic example for the change from the seventh to the first day of the week can be cited. The custom of observing the first day of the week, instead of the seventh day of divine appointment, has no authority save that of tradition, popular custom, and the command of the Church of Rome. The Church of Rome has been the agent by which Satan has made this breach in the law of God, and turned the professed Christian world away from the precepts of Jehovah. Through his insinuation men made the claim that because Christ rose from the dead on the first day of the week, therefore the first day of the week should be celebrated as the Christian sabbath, but the Scriptures give no authority for this manner of reasoning. The prince of evil well knew that could he set aside the true foundation for Sabbath observance, he could make the fourth commandment of no significance in the minds of men. Thus, under the pretense of honoring Christ, Satan succeeds in tearing down God’s great memorial, turning the minds of men away from their Creator.…

Boasting of Her Power

“The Roman Catholic Church does not deny the part she has acted in this change, but makes a boast of her power as shown in the change which she has brought about in the world. Papists acknowledge that the Bible gives no sanction to this change, and that Protestants have no Scriptural authority for Sunday worship.…In changing the fourth precept of God’s law, the papal power has thought itself able to exalt itself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped. This was the very work that the prophecy foretold would be done by this power.…

“Daniel in holy vision saw that the antichrist ‘would think to change times and laws.’ The laws of God and the time of God were to be changed by this antichristian power.…In the prophecy it is plainly shown that this papal power would, with deliberate intention, change the law of God. In the Catholic catechisms…the change of the fourth commandment, the institution of the first day of the week as the Sabbath instead of the seventh day, is a change for which she holds herself responsible of intention to change, and makes a boast of her power, because the whole professed Christian world acknowledges her mandate in this particular. It is by thus trampling upon God’s commandments (sin is the transgression of the law) that the Roman Church has proved its right to the title given in prophecy to one who shall be the ‘mystery of lawlessness.’

The Vicegerent of Satan

“The Papacy, claiming to be the vicegerent of the Son of God, is in truth the vicegerent of another power. She points to the Sunday institution as the sign of her authority; but in the change of the law and time of God, she is only doing that which Satan tried to do in heaven,—prove the law of God faulty, and the Lawgiver fallible. In boasting of her power above the law of God, she is but echoing the sentiments of the great deceiver. God instituted the Sabbath as a sign of His authority and power, and the Papacy, acting for the prince of evil, points to Sunday as a sign of her power and jurisdiction. The day of the sun, Sunday, was a day devoted to the most vile of the heathen worship, for it was celebrated in connection with sun-worship. This Sunday-sabbath has been accepted by many who know it to be the foundling of heathenism, which has been cherished and nourished by the Church of Rome, and by the Church of Rome clothed in the garments of sanctity. But while many are now aware of its origin,…there are true Christians in every church who do not know the origin of the Sunday-Sabbath, and believe that they are keeping the day which God sanctified and blest. This is true of worshipers even in the Catholic Church; and while this ignorance and integrity remain, God accepts their sincerity; but when light shall fall upon their pathway, God requires them to come into harmony with His law, and to observe the Sabbath of His appointing.…‘And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.’

“Many thousand who have accepted the change made in the day of rest have done so ignorantly.…but the day of light has now dawned. The times of their ignorance God winked at, but now He commandeth men everywhere to repent. It is demonstrated that no change is necessary in the law of God.…Jesus came to magnify the law and to make it honorable, and His death on Calvary in the sinner’s behalf, proves the immutability of the law of heaven.…” Signs of the Times, November 12, 1894 and November 19, 1894.

[All emphasis supplied by the author.]

Separation and Redemption

by

Separation Brings Unity

We hear a lot about unity today, but I want to look at separation. You will see that separation and redemption brings unity. It is an amazing thing.

Throughout the Word of God, the Bible declares there is no redemption without separation. None! In Genesis 12:1, we find Abraham being called out by God from Ur of the Chaldees to go to the Promised Land. In Exodus 20:1, 2, we find these words: “And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”

In Matthew 1:21, we have the familiar text of Scripture where Gabriel said, “Thou shalt call His name Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins.”

Jesus came into this world to separate His people from sin. “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:17, 18.

Redemption Demands Separation

There is no redemption without separation. The final call of God to His people will be, “Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins.” Revelation 18:4. From Genesis to Revelation there is a thread that runs through all that God says to His people, and this thread is separation, separation!

God illustrates this separation to which He calls His people by calling them “…a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9.

Jesus illustrates the work of separation as calling His people out of darkness into light. He separates us from the darkness into the light. There are three truths revealed in this text that we want to look at.

  1. He separates us from darkness. He brings us out of the darkness of sin and error and confusion into the light of truth.
  2. He separates us to show forth His praises. The marginal reference for praises in the King James Version says virtues. God wants to separate us from the darkness of this world and bring us into the light of His truth, so we can show forth His virtues, His goodness to a world that does not have any idea what kind of God we serve.
  3. Separation comes by God! He is the only One who can separate us from the darkness and bring us into the light. All our efforts, no matter how good they might be, will leave us short and still in the darkness without God. God is the only One! He has the power to bring us out of the darkness into the light. There is no redemption without separation.

A Foreign Word

When you look in Webster’s Dictionary under the word separation, you find these singular definitions: “Divide, sever, disunite, isolate, alone.” Separation seems to denote a lot of negatives, and I would suggest to you, that before sin entered this universe the word separation was a foreign word in the language of heaven.

Scripture tells us what heaven was like before sin entered. Everything was in harmony: “And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.” Isaiah 32:17. That is heaven.

Let us look at those words, “the work of righteousness”,—they infer an outward work. We know that righteousness means right doing, doing what is right. In heaven, before sin began, everyone was doing the work of righteousness. They were doing what was right, at the right time, for the right reason.

The foundation for all of God’s righteousness is found in Psalm 119:172, which says, “All Thy commandments are righteousness.” The foundation of all of God’s righteousness, the righteousness of heaven before sin entered, is His Law, His commandments. Every being in heaven, in the vast universe of God’s creation, was in harmony with God’s Law.

It is a wonderful thing to be in harmony with God’s Law. You can see the world from a different perspective if you are in harmony with the Law. All heaven was in harmony with God’s Law, and it brought forth the fruit of righteousness.

The effect of the work of righteousness, and outward revelation of harmony with God’s Law, was quietness. No sound of murmuring or complaining was heard in the courts above, before sin began. Why? Because everyone who was in harmony with God’s Law of righteousness, had quietness within their hearts. They were at peace with God, their Creator, and they were at peace with one another. There was no murmuring; there was no complaining heard.

The effect of righteousness is quietness and assurance. Righteousness brings assurance to your heart. Assurance of what? Assurance that the Creator God loves you as a personal being and that He is no respecter of persons. He loves you the same as He loves me.

Before sin there was an assurance brought forth by this work of righteousness that was in harmony with God’s Law, a personal assurance that all was well. There was no sound of envy. There was no sound of jealousy. There was no striving to be number one. Why? Because the work of righteousness brings not only quietness, but it also brings assurance that you are accepted. Righteousness, God’s righteousness, produced a harmony in heaven before sin entered.

The Sound of Separation

“So long as all created beings acknowledged the allegiance of love, there was perfect harmony throughout the universe of God. It was the joy of the heavenly host to fulfill the purpose of their Creator. They delighted in reflecting His glory and showing forth His praise. And while love to God was supreme, love for one another was confiding and unselfish. There was no note of discord to mar the celestial harmonies.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 35.

And then the next word says, “But!” “But a change came over this happy state.” Ibid. And you and I know all about that change. The word separation was introduced when sin was originated in the mind of a created being. And the word separation brought a sound that was totally foreign to the universe of God.

The sound of separation began with a created being. What was this sound that was so different from anything heaven had ever heard up to that point? “Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.” Ezekiel 28:15.

When you look up the Hebrew definition of the word iniquity, interestingly enough you will find that it means unrighteousness was found in thee. So from the sound of righteousness that was in perfect harmony with God’s Law, now we had another sound, and that was the sound of unrighteousness.

The Sound of Unrighteousness

What does God call this sound of unrighteousness that now was becoming more prevalent in the kingdom of God? “All unrighteousness is sin.” 1 John 5:17. “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the Law: for sin is the transgression of the [God’s] Law.” 1 John 3:4.

So this new sound, the sound of unrighteousness, came into being as a result of choosing to be out of harmony with God’s Law. And to show you how foolish sin is, let me use an example.

There is not one of us who would jump out of a plane with a parachute and half way down cut the parachute away. No, because we respect the physical Law of gravity too much to do that. God wants to help us see that He has this marvelous Law that is filled with His love. Romans 13:10 tells us, “Love is the fulfilling of the Law.” God has filled His Law full with His love. It is for our good.

So now we have this sound of unrighteousness reverberating through the universe. It started with one created being. Separation from God’s Law brings a new sound, the sound of unrighteousness. Isaiah 59:2 tells us of the ultimate separation that takes place as a result of imbibing this new sound. “But your iniquities [What are iniquities? They are unrighteousness. What is unrighteousness? It is sin. What is sin? It is the transgression of God’s Law. It is separating ourselves from God’s Law. Now what do they do?] have separated between you and your God.” That is what takes place when we choose to imbibe the sound of unrighteousness, to listen to unrighteousness and to practice unrighteousness, which is transgressing God’s Law. We have chosen to separate ourselves from the God who created us.

Separation from Sin Reunites Us to God

Now, if separation from God’s Law, or His righteousness, separates us from God, then separation from sin will reunite us to God. Do you see that? The gospel is simple. The only thing that will reunite us to God is separation from sin. And what is sin? Sin is the transgressing of God’s Law. It is our separation from God’s Law.

Matthew 1:21 tells us that Jesus came into this world to save us from sin, from our sins. He came into this world to separate us from sin. If He came to separate us from sin, which is the transgression of God’s Law, then He came to bring us back into harmony with God’s Law!

He is calling us out of the darkness of error, the darkness of unbelief, the darkness of falsehood into the bright light of His truth—if we will receive it, if we will respond. He has the power to separate us from the darkness unto the light. He is the only Being in the entire universe who can separate us, whether we are young or old, from the darkness of sin into the bright light of His righteousness.

Separated from the Darkness into His Light

What is the power that Jesus only can give us, which will help us to be separated from our sins, separated from the darkness into His light? We find our answer in Romans 1:16, 17. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith.”

The power is in His righteousness! The power that we can access is Christ’s righteousness! If we are willing to receive it, it is user friendly.

If the power is in His righteousness, that means that righteousness is also embodied in His Law. “All Thy commandments are righteousness.” Psalm 119:172.

Three Requirements for Power

There are three things necessary for us to access, or to receive and reveal this righteousness, three things in which God is asking us to cooperate with Him so that we might receive His righteousness. In receiving His righteousness, we receive His power, power that will enable us to separate ourselves from the darkness of sin into the light of His truth.

Faith: First is a marvelous promise, but there are tremendous conditions attached. “But without faith it is impossible.” Hebrews 11:6. We can go no further without faith. If we choose to not have faith, it is impossible to be separated from the darkness and to be brought into the light.

God cannot do anything unless we have faith. Faith in what? Faith in His Word. That is the only thing in which God is asking you to have faith. What He has said, He wants us to believe. But if we do not have faith, it is impossible to be separated from sin. Notice the kind of faith that God wants us to have. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” Ibid.

Do you have that kind of faith? Can you have that kind of faith? Yes, if you base it on the Word of God, but if you are trying to have that kind of faith based on your feelings or based on your own works, you will fail. It is impossible.

We can have that kind of faith if we simply come to God’s Word, believe what God says, and go no further. Let us stop adding and subtracting. Let us believe what God has said and believe that God means what He says.

That is what He wants from us—to believe that He is and to believe that He is a rewarder of them that diligently, consistently, constantly seek Him, believing that He will reward us according to the promise. Faith is number one, but we see that it has to be a certain kind of faith.

It is the kind of faith that God asks for, not the kind of faith that you and I try to exercise in and of ourselves, apart from Him, having good feelings and occasionally being on a religious high. No, God wants us to be consistent, constant, diligent and faithful. Can we be? Yes, if we are basing it all on His Word, His promises, with nothing added, nothing subtracted.

Obedience (or Works): Second, there is another condition, if we are going to access the righteousness of Jesus. This righteousness of Jesus is the power that is going to enable us to separate ourselves from all sin. Here is the condition: “But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?” James 2:20–22.

So, we need two things; we need faith and works. Now let us consider Hebrews 11:8. Abraham was mentioned as an illustration of someone who had faith with works. Notice what those works were:

“By faith Abraham, [So we know that Abraham had faith, but what are the works?] When he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed.” Do you see any works there? Obedience! God is looking for obedience as the fruit of our faith.

The third necessary item we need to access the righteousness of God, to give us the power to separate from sin, is a motivating influence.

Love: Faith and obedience need a motor. They need a motive, and this is it: “For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.” Galatians 5:6.

There it is. That is the motivating influence. It is the greatest influence that we need to move us to choose to exercise the kind of faith that we saw in Hebrews 11:6 and to work the works that we saw in James 2. We need the motive of love, and there is only one Being who can give us that love. It is the same One who gives us His righteousness—Jesus.

Jesus wants us to have a faith that works by love. How do we get that? Well, in 1 John 4:19, John says, “We love Him, because He first loved us.”

We will never love God until we believe that God loves us. You can have good desires; you can have good intentions; you can have religion. But until you personally believe that God loves you, you will never love Him supremely to the degree that you will have a faith that works and allows Him to separate you from sin and from darkness.

The Price of Redemption

What has Jesus paid to give us an opportunity to choose to be separated from sin? We are going to go right to the heart of the issue. Jesus had been ministering for three and a half years to a people who did not want to be separated from their sins, to a people who had chosen to love darkness rather than light, to a people who would rather hear the sound of unrighteousness than the sound of heaven and its righteousness. For three and a half years Jesus had been separated from every human being, to a great degree, by misunderstanding.

They did not understand Him. Jesus experienced an emotional separation that we can never fully understand. It was part of the price, coming into a world that loved darkness rather than light. And now He is in a garden. “And He went a little further, and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, ‘O My Father, if it be possible,…’”

Was it possible? Oh, yes, it was possible. It was possible, but it would have meant that it would have been impossible for you and for me. Yes, for Jesus it was possible to get up off that ground and go back to heaven. But He would leave us in an impossible situation, because without Him, we would never be separated from sin. Never!

“…let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will but as Thou wilt.’” Matthew 26:39.

Not My Will, Thine be Done

That is the genuine motive of every true, born-again Christian. “Not as I will but as Thou wilt.” Every temptation, every trial that we go through in life, as professed Christians, should be met with, “Not as I will, but as Thou wilt.”

His humanity is struggling here. “He went a short distance from them, and fell prostrate upon the ground. He felt that by sin He was being separated from the Father.” The gulf between them appeared so broad, so black, so deep, that He shuddered before it.” The Story of Jesus, 102.

Remember that we are talking about separation and redemption. You and I cannot separate the two. There is no redemption without separation. We are seeing the greatest illustration of that in this quote. We cannot fully understand these inspired statements. We cannot fully understand, because we have no idea of the tremendous intimacy that existed between the Father and the Son, and the tremendous love that They have for one another. We can only measure what Jesus went through by understanding the intimacy between the Two.

“Again Christ went away, and prayed that if it were possible this cup might pass from Him. His soul was filled with an overpowering fear of separation from God in consequence of sin. Satan told Him that if He became the Substitute and Surety for a sinful world, He would nevermore be one with God, but would be under his control.” Signs of the Times, June 3, 1897.

The Ultimate Consequence—Separation

This was the strongest, almost overmastering temptation that came to Jesus while on this earth. If there were any being in the universe of God who would best understand the intimacy between the Father and the Son, it would be the being who stood next to Christ in the courts of heaven. His name was Lucifer, Light Bearer. Now he is Satan, the adversary.

The ultimate consequence for Jesus was paying the price to give us an opportunity to be separated from the darkness unto the light. “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.” Matthew 27:45, 46.

For three hours His cross was clothed in darkness. Three hours during which we have no idea what was transpiring in the heart of Jesus, other than what we have read.

“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani, that is to say, My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” Verse 46.

The separation had taken place. What He feared was now apparently a reality. Do we understand the price Jesus paid? Oh, He wants to help us understand. He wants to help us see clearly so we will be willing to accept His righteousness and allow Him to separate us from all the darkness, from all the sin in this world. Then we can show forth His praises and His virtues.

“But now with the terrible weight of guilt [that] He bears, He cannot see the Father’s reconciling face. The withdrawal of the divine countenance from the Saviour in this hour of supreme anguish pierced His heart with a sorrow that can never be fully understood by man. So great was this agony that His physical pain was hardly felt. Satan with his fierce temptations wrung the heart of Jesus. The Saviour could not see through the portals of the tomb. Hope did not present to Him His coming forth from the grave a conqueror, or tell Him of the Father’s acceptance of the sacrifice. He feared that sin was so offensive to God that their separation was to be eternal.” The Desire of Ages, 753.

Restoring Harmony

It cost so much to give us an opportunity to separate from sin. We will never understand it. “Christ felt the anguish which the sinner will feel when mercy shall no longer plead for the guilty race.” Ibid.

He does not want us to experience what He experienced for us.

“It was the sense of sin bringing the Father’s wrath upon Him as man’s substitute, that made the cup He drank so bitter, and broke the heart of the Son of God.” Ibid.

Separation cost a tremendous price. It cost the Father and the Son everything to give us the opportunity to be separated from the darkness into the light, from our sins into His righteousness, from being out of harmony with God’s Law to being brought back into harmony with heaven’s ways.

It cost everything. Jesus was willing to give everything. Oh, how ashamed we should be when we are hesitant to give Him our sins. All of us have need to grow in faith, in obedience, in love to Him and to allow Him to do the work that He came to do. He came to separate us from our sins.

Now let me ask you a question. How many sins would have brought the separation from the Father upon Jesus? One sin!

What will make us fully His separated people, separated from darkness into the light? “Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith.” Hebrews 12:2. What a wonderful text, inspired by God’s Spirit for those of us who are choosing to cooperate, to be separated from our sins unto His righteousness!

What does it say? “Looking unto Jesus.” He is the only One in all the universe of God, who can help us become separated from the darkness into the light. But we must look to Him. We must have our focus on Him, not upon each other, not upon another man.

Finishing the Good Work

“Looking unto Jesus who is the Author.” What does that mean? He is our beginning; He is the One who is going to author your character, if you allow Him to do that. He wants to finish what He begins, and He will, if we submit. Do you see that in all the works that God has made? Ah, that is a part of His character. Jesus wants to finish the work that He has begun in your heart. If you have never allowed Jesus to begin the work in you, He is inviting you to give Him your approval to begin that work today.

In Luke 9:23, Jesus says, “‘If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.’”

You see, it is not enough to merely look at Jesus. We must follow Him. We will only follow Him if we believe His Word, which He has given us. So when we read His Word and we read the promises, we choose to believe and we choose to act. We have a faith that is motivated by a love that is going to bring forth the fruit of obedience.

God is going to have a separated people, separated from sin in their hearts. That is His people. We can come out physically from apostasy, but unless we have allowed Jesus to come in and separate us from sin, we have not fully come out and been separated from the darkness. Looking unto Jesus and following Him will make us fully His separated people.

Oh, brothers and sisters, let us not allow the separation of Calvary to have been in vain for us! Let us, with renewed faith and determination, choose to not only look to Jesus, but also to follow Him, allowing Him to separate us from all our sins and bring us into harmony with the sound of heaven, even His righteousness! What do you say? “For He saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2.

Weddings, Baptisms and Tithe

by

Weddings are momentous occasions. They are fraught with serious and far-reaching consequences. There is, of course, much happiness and joyful celebration, but along with this there is some serious business going on. Some very solemn vows are being exchanged. A man is solemnly promising to love, honor, cherish, and be faithful to a woman, and the woman, in return, is solemnly promising to love, honor, cherish and be faithful to the man.

Please notice that the wedding vows are mutual, two-way, reciprocal vows. They are not individual, isolated, personal vows. They are fulfilled in a life of mutual, faithful continuance by both parties. As long as both parties remember their mutual vows and honor them and remain faithful to them, all will go well.

The Bride Forgets Her Promise

But what if the bride forgets her promise and violates her wedding vow by entering into illicit relationships with other men? Does she still have the right to require her husband to be true to his wedding vow? Does he have to support her in her adulteries? “That would be ridiculous,” you say. “In that tragic circumstance, the husband would be free to do whatever he thought best, within the law.” You are right. The woman, by her violation of her wedding vow, has ended her husband’s obligations to her. They no longer exist.

Exchanging Vows

Baptisms are also momentous occasions. They are, like weddings, fraught with serious and far-reaching, even eternal, results and consequences. They are occasions of great joy and happiness, but along with these things there is some serious business going on. Solemn vows are being exchanged. A baptismal candidate and a church are exchanging vows. The church is promising to keep on telling the truth about God. The candidate is promising to keep on giving financial support to that truth-telling by his tithes and offerings.

These baptismal vows, like the wedding vows, are mutual, two-way, reciprocal vows. They are not isolated, individual, personal vows. They are fulfilled in a life of mutual, faithful continuance by both parties. As long as both the church and the church member remember their respective vows and honor them, all will be well.

But what if the church forgets her promise and violates her baptismal vow by entering into illicit relationships with other churches, accepting some of their false doctrines, and so inter-mingling those false doctrines with her message that it can no longer be said that she is telling the truth about God? Does she still have a right to require the member to support her with his tithes and offerings? Does he have to pay for her adulteries? This would be ridiculous. By her spiritual adultery she has canceled out all such obligations. They no longer exist. The member is free to do what he thinks best with his tithe, within the limits of Scriptural instructions about the proper use of tithe.

The Heart of the Matter

This is the heart of the tithe question. This is the central issue upon which all other tithe issues depend. It can be expressed in the simple question, “Does God require us to pay for the preaching of false doctrines?” The only right answer would have to be “No. That would be utterly ridiculous.” Apostasy has no rights and no authority, either to tell us what to do or to collect tithes and offerings from us.

False Doctrines That
Have Crept In

We pause to mention some of the false doctrines that are being taught in many Seventh-day Adventist churches and educational institutions today. The list would include, but not be limited to:

  • Rejection of our Sanctuary message
  • Rejection of the Spirit of Prophecy
  • Rejection of the authority of Scripture
  • A false doctrine of Justification. That we are saved by justification (forgiveness) only.
  • A false doctrine of Sanctification. That Christians cannot stop sinning, even by the power of God. Ellen White testified against this false doctrine more than 2,000 times.
  • A false doctrine of the nature of Christ. That Christ came to earth in the human nature of unfallen Adam. Ellen White bore testimony against this false doctrine 400 times.
  • Celebration (Satanic) worship services

And so we ask again, does the church yet have a right to require our financial support for the teaching of these false doctrines? The very idea is preposterous! Some may wish to argue that the church is not teaching all false doctrines but only a few. This is like arguing that the unfaithful bride is not having illicit relationships with all other men but only a few. Does this make sense? Surely not!

The Bottom Line

This is the bottom line, the bedrock principle upon which all other tithe matters must rest, and according to which all tithe questions must be answered. We must keep it in mind as we look at some of the peripheral questions.

Did not Ellen White write that the church is the only treasury of the Lord? No, she did not! In the year 1905, she wrote a letter to an Elder Watson, who was then president of the Colorado conference. In this letter she made three significant statements.

  1. She stated that for years she had been sending her tithe to places of her own choosing.
  2. She spoke of other persons, whom she knew, who were doing the same thing, and recommended that they be left alone. Here are her words: “If there have been cases where our sisters have appropriated their tithe to the support of the ministers working for the colored people in the South, let every man, if he is wise, hold his peace.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 2, 99.
  3. She stated clearly, “the money is not withheld from the Lord’s treasury.” Ibid. How could she make that statement if the church is the only treasury of the Lord? Obviously she could not.

A Position Apart from God

Another insight into Ellen White’s thinking regarding financial matters is provided by P. T. Magan, who with E. A. Sutherland, was a co-founder of Madison College in Tennessee. From Magan’s copious diaries we excerpt a few lines:

“May 7, 1907: Talked with Sister White regarding attitude of General Conference toward us . . . Told Sister White about the administration view that we had no right to go and get money unless we were owned by the conference. She replied: ‘You are doing double what they are. Take all the donations you can get. The money belongs to the Lord, and not to these men. The position they take is not of God. The Southern Union Conference is not to own or control you. You cannot turn things over to them.’

“May 14, 1907: Talked to (Ellen White) about the General Conference position that concerns non-conference owned should have no money. She answered: ‘Daniells and those with him are taking a position on this matter that is not of God.’”

A Statement of Understanding

Other careful investigators have gone before us in examining Ellen White’s teachings on the subject of tithe. Document WDF 213, in the White Estate Office in Loma Linda, is a record of an investigation made by W. C. White, A. G. Daniells, and W. W. Prescott in answer to an accusation that Ellen White sometimes violated her own counsel by sending her tithe to places of her own choosing. Paragraph six on page two of the document is a clear statement of how these leading brethren understood the totality of Ellen White’s teachings and example regarding the payment of tithe.

“As to the proper use of the tithe: The outline of a statement on this subject which was agreed upon was briefly this:

“To give extracts from Sister White’s writings as to the tithe and its use;

“To show that her testimonies and her own usual practise [sic] was in favor of paying the tithe into the regularly designated treasury, to be used under the counsel of the committees appointed for that purpose,

“To show further from her writings that when those who have charge of the expenditure of the tithe so far fail in the discharge of their duty that the regularly organized channels for the distribution of tithe become hindrances to its proper use,

“Then in order to carry out the divine plan that the tithe should be expended in the wisest manner for the furtherance of the work, individuals have a right to pay their tithe direct to the needy fields;

“But that this involves a considerable degree of personal responsibility, which must be assumed by those who decide to follow this plan.

“It was thought that this matter could be handled in a way to show that the departure from the regular plans was authorized only when the regular plans failed to be carried out by those in positions of responsibility.” [Sentence division and emphasis supplied.]

We must recognize that these men would have been appalled by the false doctrines being taught in so many of our churches today. They would have been horrified by the spectacle of huge amounts of tithe being paid to non-Adventist lawyers to sue, fine, and imprison persons, who thought of themselves as Seventh-day Adventists, for using that name. The principle that they set forth would certainly apply to our time. We need not wonder where they would send their tithe.

Using Your Own Judgment

Another question: Did not Ellen White say that persons should not use their own judgment in regard to tithe? Here are her words:

“The portion that God has reserved for Himself is not to be diverted to any other purpose than that which He has specified. Let none feel at liberty to retain their tithe, to use according to their own judgment. They are not to use it for themselves in an emergency, nor to apply it as they see fit, even in what they may regard as the Lord’s work.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 247. [Emphasis supplied.]

What Ellen White meant by the words “what they may regard as the Lord’s work” is made clear in the following pages by these lines:

“One reasons that the tithe may be applied to school purposes. Still others reason that canvassers and colporteurs should be supported from the tithe. But a great mistake is made when tithe is drawn from the object for which it is to be used,—the support of the ministers.” Ibid., 248, 249. [Emphasis supplied.]

In Counsels on Stewardship, page 103, she also rejects the idea of using tithe for the poor fund or for church expense.

Persistently Preaching the Devil’s Lies

Ellen White did not contradict herself, either in what she wrote or what she did. Her words here are in full harmony with her letter to Watson (quoted previously) and her own practice. Her own power of choice, like every other person’s power of choice, was limited by the Scriptural guidelines. Well may we rejoice in the steadfast integrity of the counsels brought to us by the chosen messenger of the Lord. And though our hearts are grieved by the rising tide of apostasy in our beloved church today, we may take comfort in the knowledge that our Lord is not surprised by it. He knew all about it, and He gave us ample forewarning. Let us carefully and prayerfully consider our duty in the light of these realities.

It cannot be denied that there are pastors in Seventh-day Adventist churches, teachers in Seventh-day Adventist educational institutions, and persons at all levels of church administration who are persistently presenting as truth the devil’s great lie, that Christians cannot stop sinning, even by the power of God. Ellen White has identified this assertion no less than 35 times as a lie that originated in the heart of Satan. The strongest of her statements is this:

“Satan declared that it was impossible for the sons and daughters of Adam to keep the Law of God, and thus charged upon God a lack of wisdom and love. If they could not keep the Law, then there was fault with the Lawgiver. Men who are under the control of Satan repeat these accusations against God, in asserting that men cannot keep the Law of God. Jesus humbled Himself, clothing His divinity with humanity, in order that He might stand as the head and representative of the human family, and by both precept and example condemn sin in the flesh, and give the lie to Satan’s charges. He was subjected to the fiercest temptations that human nature can know, yet He sinned not; for sin is the transgression of the Law. By faith He laid hold upon divinity, even as humanity may lay hold upon infinite power through Him.” Signs of the Times, January 16, 1896. [Emphasis supplied.]

Apostasy Has No Authority

Apostasy has no authority! In these dreadful times we must be faithful to our Lord, and follow our leaders only as far as they follow the Lord. We must not support apostasy with our tithes and offerings. There are some who are trying to be faithful in word and deed. Let us give our support to them, carefully complying with every instruction that we find in the Bible and in the Spirit of Prophecy. Then we may claim the blessing of the Lord. Settle it in your mind forever, dear friend. The storehouse of tithe must be the storehouse of truth. There is absolutely no way that a storehouse of falsehoods could be the treasury of the Lord, the storehouse of tithe. May God bless you.

Identification and Spirit of Antichrist – Part I

by

No Time to Assimilate with the World

Identification of the antichrist is a subject we need to understand. If we do not know who the antichrist is, we will end up being joined to the antichrist. Ellen White says, “The enemy’s last great conflict will be a most determined one. It will be the last battle between the powers of darkness and the powers of light. Every true child of God will fight bravely on the side of Christ. Those who, in this great crisis, allow themselves to be more on the side of the world than of God, will eventually place themselves wholly on the side of the world. Those who become confused in their understanding of the Word, who fail to see the meaning of antichrist, will surely place themselves on the side of antichrist. There is no time for us to assimilate with the world. Daniel is standing in his lot and in his place.” Pamphlets, 68, 135, 139.

If we become confused in our thinking, so that we do not understand who the antichrist is, if we do not understand what the spirit of antichrist is, we will end up being joined with antichrist. We will not even know what we have done because we will think that we are having a great reformation and revival and a wonderful Christian experience.

When you get deep into the prophecies in Revelation, you begin to see that, at the end of the world, the people who are lost are going to be very confident that they will have eternal life. They are going to think that they are having the most wonderful spiritual experience that they have ever had. Let me tell you, the devil is determined that the Seventh-day Adventist Church is going to have the same wonderful experience that these other churches are having.

He is trying to get our church to unite with the fallen churches of Babylon. He is trying to obliterate the line of demarcation between the remnant church and the churches of Babylon. He wants to get us aligned with them so we stop preaching the Second Angel’s Message. Let me tell you, the spirit of hostility which is developing in the Seventh-day Adventist Church against the Three Angels’ Messages is frightful.

It has been going on for much longer than most people realize. When I attended Andrews University and the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary in the mid- sixties, I took a class in evangelism. The students were each required to preach an evangelistic sermon, listened to by the teacher and the rest of the class. I decided if I was going to preach an evangelistic sermon, I was going to preach the Third Angel’s Message. So I did.

Nobody could say it was heretical, at that time at least, because it was exactly what Ellen White taught in The Great Controversy and what was in Daniel and Revelation by Uriah Smith. At that time the Seventh-day Adventist Church had been teaching that message for over a hundred years. But every single person in that class, except one, opposed my sermon. Is that not an interesting state of affairs? Here was a Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary and the students there did not believe that you should preach the Third Angel’s Message in an evangelistic sermon.

What kind of evangelism are you going to do? To what are you going to convert the people? What are they going to believe when you get done preaching?

The Third Angel’s Message is about the antichrist, because the beast power of Revelation 13:1–10, is the antichrist. So the mark of the beast is the mark of antichrist, and the worship of the beast is the worship of antichrist.

A Millennium of Peace?

According to Revelation 13:8, everybody in the world, except the saved, is going to worship antichrist. Everyone whose name is not in the Book of Life is going to worship him. It is going to be universal, and these people are going to think that they are having the most wonderful revival and reformation of their lives. They are going to feel so wonderful.

It is going to be very religious. It will apparently be the most successful religious revival of all times. According to Revelation 18, the kings of the earth and the various government leaders all over the world will be involved. The legislatures, the courts, the church leaders, the thought leaders, the civil
leaders, the professional people, the moneyed people will all be involved. When you get all those people involved, the great mass of humanity is going to fall right in behind, and say, This is the most wonderful thing.

Ellen White says that they are going to come to our people and they will say, Angels are among us and miracles are among us. And this is the millennium of peace for which we have been hoping so long. Everything in the world is at peace. (See Maranatha, 209.)

Of course, they are not going to know that Armageddon is right around the corner. Right now, Christians all over the world are praying that the Lord will bring peace to the world, and the devil is going to make it look like God has answered their prayers. Then they will say, Angels are among us and miracles are among us and the whole world is at peace, and if you people who are so stubborn would only go along with this movement and be in harmony with the Sunday Law, then the whole world would be at rest.

Ellen White said that she saw our people in great distress during this time. She said they had taken away our resources so that we could not buy or sell, and they mocked the smallness of our numbers. Ibid. Now, we are going to be a very large number, but we are going to be scattered all over the world. We do not know the exact number, but if you took 144,000 people today and scattered them evenly across the world’s area, in proportion to the world’s population, I figured out that in Wichita there would be between 10 and 20 people. And Wichita is the biggest city in Kansas!

Twenty people scattered over the greater Wichita area, most of them in prison somewhere, would look like a pretty small group, would it not? It would look like you were all alone. The world has always been impressed by numbers, and when they see the smallness of our numbers, they are going to laugh.

Who or What is the Antichrist?

Mrs. White said they are also going to mock our poverty. Of course, you are poor if you cannot buy or sell, and you will be poor in that day. If you had a million dollars, it would not matter. What are you going to do then? If you do not know for sure what you believe, you are not going to make it. If you do not know absolutely for sure the truthfulness of the Three Angels’ Messages, you will not be able to stand against the rest of the world. So you need to know who is antichrist.

The mark of the beast is the mark of antichrist, because the beast is antichrist. As I keep studying this subject, the number of descriptive things I find as identifying marks of the antichrist, gets larger and larger.

You need to know how to identify, absolutely for sure, who the antichrist is, because almost the whole Christian world today, even many Seventh-day Adventists, are confused about this issue.

If you do not understand this, you cannot proclaim the Three Angels’ Messages with power. You cannot! This is a vital, important subject for Seventh-day Adventists. God has put us here for this time and place to be able to explain this to the world, so let us look at the first detailed description about the antichrist power, given in Daniel 7.

How do we know that this is talking about the antichrist? Daniel 7:25 says, “He shall speak”—great thing [words] against the Most High, and wear out [persecute] the saints of the Most High.” Is it the antichrist power that speaks great words against the Most High? By definition that would be an antichrist power. You do not need any other text to show it. You know that whoever it is talking about in this text, is an antichrist power. So let us find out who is this antichrist power.

Has the Antichrist Come?

I like to begin at Daniel 7 to identify the antichrist, because there are certain major identifying marks there that are not found anywhere else in the Bible. Daniel 7 gives us absolutely, indisputable evidence as to the time and place where the antichrist power would arise. That is important to understand, because some people think that the antichrist has not even come yet.

Some people think that the antichrist power is still in the future, and some believe that the antichrist power appeared sometime before the time of Christ. But Daniel 7 puts dates and places in your mind so you have some anchor points regarding time and place, and that is important.

Daniel 7 records a vision about four beasts, which represent four empires, or kingdoms, that were going to rule the world.

Rome Identified

We know from Daniel 2 that there were only four kingdoms that would be worldwide in authority, and Daniel 7:23 says, “The fourth beast shall be A fourth kingdom on earth, Which shall be different from all other kingdoms, And shall devour the whole earth, Trample it and break it in pieces.” This fourth kingdom was not to be superceded by another kingdom, but it was to be divided into ten kingdoms. (See verses 7, 8.)

It is the fourth beast, the fourth kingdom, that would rule over the whole earth. We know that the fourth beast in Daniel 7 is the same as the fourth kingdom in Daniel 2, which is Rome. The third beast was Greece, the second Medo-Persia, and the first was Babylon.

Rome was to be divided up. Notice what it says in verse 7. “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it.…”

This fourth kingdom, we are told in the last part of verse 7, had ten horns. Then it says in verse 8, “‘I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots.’” Notice the explanation of this in verse 24. “‘The ten horns are ten kings Who shall arise from this kingdom [out of the Roman Empire]. And another shall rise after them; He shall be different from the first ones, And shall subdue three kings.’”

Now this other one that would arise after them is the little horn power described first in Daniel 7:8, referred to again in verses 20 and 21, and now referred to again in verses 24 and 25. Notice several things about this little horn power, this antichrist power.

First of all, look at the place where the antichrist arose.

The Ten Divisions

Scripture gives us a geographical place where the antichrist was to arise. The antichrist was to arise among the ten divisions of the Roman Empire.

The Roman Empire was divided into the following ten divisions between 351 ad and 476 ad:

  1. Anglo Saxons (Great Britain)
  2. Alamanni (Germany)
  3. Franks (France)
  4. Burgundians (Southern France and the area of Switzerland.)
  5. Visigoths (The Westgoths of Spain)
  6. Ostrogoths (The Eastgoths were driven out of Rome in 538 ad, and were later destroyed and disappeared.)
  7. Vandals (Northern Africa, they were destroyed in 534 ad and disappeared.)
  8. The Heruli (Odoacer’s kingdom, were driven out and destroyed in 493 ad.)
  9. The Suevi (Portugal)
  10. The Lombards (Northern Italy)

Identifying Marks of the Antichrist

The prophet clearly says, in verse 8, that this little horn power, the antichrist power, is to arise among these 10 tribes. So if you want to know where the antichrist power would arise, you have to look at that area of Europe where those ten kingdoms were divided from the Roman Empire. It has to occur in that geographical place. It cannot be anywhere else.

A power that arose in Africa, in Israel, in South America, in North America, in India or in China would not qualify. The place has to be among the divisions of these 10 kingdoms. In Daniel 7:24, it says, “And another shall rise after them.” (After the ten kings.) The ten kings divided up the Roman Empire between 351ad and 476ad, which means this little horn power would have to appear after 476ad. Now remember, it is called a horn, which means that it was a king, because these horns were called kings. (See verse 24.)

This little horn, the antichrist power, was “another” one, or “another” kingdom. (Verse 8, 24.) In other words, it was not one of the European nations. It was not France or England or Germany. It was in addition to the first ten kingdoms.

It was “a little horn.” (Chapter 7:8.) In fact, in size, it was so little that it was smaller than any of the other ten nations of Europe. It would arise as a horn, or as a kingdom, after the ten horns, divisions, of the Roman Empire.

In the process of arising, it would uproot three of the first ten kingdoms. We already saw the three that were uprooted were, the Heruli in 493 ad, the Vandals in 534 ad, the Ostrogoths in 538 ad, for the first time. The earliest date that could be given, according to this prophecy of Daniel 7, when the little horn power would appear or have independent authority, is 538 ad.

The little horn power existed before 538 ad, but the earliest time it had independent civil authority as a kingdom, was at this time. It arose to independent political power between 493 ad and 538 ad. Before that, it was always subservient to another power, and that is why the Ostrogoths, the Vandals and the Heruli were driven out. The little horn power could not have independent authority as long as they were around.

Daniel 7 tells us that this little horn had eyes like the eyes of a man. That is a very significant statement. If you have a Strong’s Concordance, look up the word eye, eyes of man, and the eyes of the Lord. You will find out some very interesting things.

This little horn power, this antichrist, had a mouth speaking great things. The claims made by this power are very, very easy to document. This power claims to hold, on earth, the place of God Almighty.

Daniel 7:20 says, “whose appearance was greater than his fellows.” In other words, this horn became more prominent. Some people say, Oh, that was Antiochus Epiphanies. Daniel 7:20 says that his appearance was more stout, or more formidable than was his fellows. That means that this power was greater than the British Empire, the French Empire, the German Empire, or any of the nations of Europe. Now that puts a little qualification on who this could be. This could not be just anybody. This is a power that is greater than any of the nations of Western Europe, which, in the last 1,500 years of history, have been the greatest nations of the world. This is a very qualifying statement.

The antichrist power, according to Daniel 7:21, would make war with the saints and prevail against them.

It says, again, in verse 24, that this antichrist power would be different than the first ten divisions of the Roman Empire. In what way would it be different? The difference is that this little horn would be a religious power and the 10 kingdoms were simply civil powers.

One of the key identifying marks of the antichrist in Bible prophecy is that it “shall intend to change times and law.” (Verse 25.) Notice, it is not talking about something that just happens, it is talking about a deliberate, intentional change of times and law.

The Picture Gets Clearer

“The saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.” (Verse 25.) We have not yet exhausted Daniel 7, but we are going to go to the second passage of Scripture that talks in detail about the antichrist power, and that is in 2 Thessalonians 2:4. We know this is the antichrist power, because it says he opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or is worshipped. So this is obviously an antichrist power or an antigod.

First of all we see that the antichrist will be revealed before Jesus comes. This is a very important point, because there are many people today who believe the rapture is going to come and steal the saints out of the world, then the antichrist is going to come.

Notice what Scripture says.

“Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him [that is what some people call the rapture], we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition.” 2 Thessalonians 2:1–3.

So the antichrist is to come before Christ comes. In fact, not only does the antichrist come before Christ, but also the antichrist will not appear after Christ comes, because this Scripture plainly tells you that Jesus is going to destroy the antichrist. Anything that the antichrist does to the world is going to be finished before Christ comes. This is a very powerful Scripture if you are helping somebody who is really looking for the truth.

The Antichrist Described

The appearance of the antichrist will occur as a result of a great apostasy in Christendom. (See 2 Thessalonians 2:3.)

The antichrist is called “the man of sin” and the “son of destruction.” (Verse 3.)

It says that he opposes all that is called God or worshipped. So we know that he is antichrist, because he opposes all that is called God. He is opposed to Christ because Christ is worshipped. (Verse 4.)

He “exalts himself above all that is called God.” Verse 4 tells us, “He sits as God.” In other words, the antichrist accepts worship.

It says that “he sits as God, in the temple of God.” This is a most revealing and significant statement about the antichrist. During the third and fourth centuries, a man called John Chrysostom was preaching. I do not know whether John Chrysostom was a Sabbath-keeper or not, but he understood something about the antichrist. John Chrysostom studied Matthew 24 and he studied 2 Thessalonians 2, and he knew about the antichrist appearing “as God in the temple of God.” Where is the temple of God? By that time Jerusalem had already been destroyed, so he knew that it was not Jerusalem. You see, some people today are confused. They think the antichrist is going to be some atheist who appears in Jerusalem at the end of time. But the temple had already been destroyed long before the fourth century. In Ephesians 2:19–22, Paul says the temple of God is the church. The house of God, the temple of God, is the church, and John Chrysostom told the people, The antichrist is going to appear in the church. Is that true? Yes, it is. Scripture says, “in the temple of God,” and the temple of God in this world is the church. So this passage of Scripture shows us that the antichrist is going to sit as God in the Christian church. But then it says, in the last part of verse 4, that he is “showing himself that he is God.” In other words, he is taking the place of God on earth and accepting worship from people.

“Now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time.” Verse 6 reveals to us that the spirit of the antichrist was being restrained in Paul’s time. It was already here.

The spirit of antichrist was already at work even though it was being restrained. Notice what it says in verse 7: “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work.” So the spirit of antichrist was already present in Paul’s day. Daniel 7 shows that the antichrist would not be revealed as a kingdom until after the fall of the Roman Empire, but Paul says the spirit of antichrist, the spirit of lawlessness, is already at work. In other words, the antichrist power has roots that go all the way back to the time of the apostles. It was restrained then; it could not be manifested then, but its roots were there.

And then it says, it is called “the mystery of lawlessness.” That is an interesting expression. If you want to do some research sometime, the New Testament speaks of seven mysteries. This is one of the seven, the mystery of lawlessness. Why is it “the mystery of lawlessness?” Because, “the mystery of lawlessness“ is a system where people think they are keeping the law when they are actually breaking it. It is an amazing thing.

Paul says exactly the same thing as Daniel. He says it is already at work, but it is being restrained right now. But then he says that after the one who restrains it is taken out of the way, the antichrist power would be revealed. “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.” (Verse 7.)

Who is the one that, at that time, was restraining the mystery of lawlessness? It was the Roman Empire, the Roman Caesar. You see, the Roman Caesar claimed to be the incarnate god of the sun, that is, the sun god in the flesh. The Roman Caesar demanded worship, so the antichrist power could not be revealed. It was restrained by this pagan power that had control of the world, so the spirit, the mystery of lawlessness, the antichrist power could not be revealed. But Paul said, After the one who is presently restraining him is taken out of the way, then it will be revealed. The Roman Empire was taken out of the way between 351 ad and 476 ad

This antichrist power is called the lawless one in 2 Thessalonians 2:8, 9.

This antichrist power is going to come with deceptive signs. (See verse 9.) He is going to come according to “the working of Satan.”

He is going to come “with all power.” All power is talking about all satanic power. When you realize that, then you understand why Ellen White says unless we are continually under the jurisdiction and control of the Holy Spirit, we will be deceived. (See The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, vol. 2, 831.) Unless we are protected by the Holy Spirit, we will be deceived. Every morning, before we even get out of bed or talk to anybody, we should be committing our life to the Lord, asking that His Holy Spirit will be in charge of our minds and not allow us to come under the deceptive power of the antichrist. The deceptive power, today, is getting much, much worse than it has ever been in the past.

It is going to come with “lying wonders.” The world today does not believe the Bible, but if there is an apparition of the Virgin Mary somewhere, they will travel half-way around the world to see it, and they do not even know at what they are looking. Talk about superstitious! We are as superstitious as the ancient people were. And when you have all these lying wonders that are going to be manifested, what do you expect is going to happen? The whole world is going to be deceived, except those whose lives are committed to Jesus. Those who are converted, who are obeying and following Him, the Holy Spirit will enable to tell the difference between the false and the true. And it will take the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, because Ellen White says that the path of error and the path of truth will be so close together that without the Holy Spirit, you will not be able to tell the difference. (See Testimonies, vol. 8, 290.) That is why we need to be praying for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, day by day.

Pray that the Holy Spirit will be in control of your mind and help you not to offend God by sinning in thought, word or action. The commission of a known sin silences the voice of the Holy Spirit, and then you are vulnerable. The devil knows that. That is why he is always trying to entice God’s people to sin, so he can get at them to destroy them.

Verse 10 says the coming will be with all “unrighteous deception.” Everyone who does not love the truth is going to be deceived by the antichrist.

The antichrist is going to come with “the lie.” (See verse 11.) What is “the lie”? Satan coming as Christ. (See Ellen G. Comments, Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 911.)

Revelation 13:1–10 talks about the antichrist power, the very same power that we have just been studying in 2 Thessalonians 2 and Daniel 7. “Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven.” (Verse 6.) So we know that this is talking about the antichrist power. Now who is this beast, this antichrist power that is described in Revelation 13? It says that this is the beast that rises up out of the sea, from among many people. Seventh-day Adventists know what it means for a beast to rise up out of the earth (“where the population is sparse”) and out of the sea (“where there are multitudes of peoples.”) (See Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 816.)

This antichrist power has seven heads and ten horns. This antichrist power has ten crowns, or diadems, on his ten horns. This antichrist power has a blasphemous name. All those descriptions are given in Revelation 13:1.

Verse 2 tells us that this antichrist power is “like a leopard.” It is a beast, and a beast represents a power. (See Daniel 7:17). This is a composite beast. Notice part of it is like a bear, part of it is like a lion and so forth, and “the dragon gave him his power.” The dragon also gave him his throne, that is, his seat of government, and also gave him great authority.

One very significant identifying mark is given in verse 3. One of his heads received a deadly wound. Now let us just think through for a moment what is the deadly wound. To understand what the deadly wound is, you have to understand the genius of the papacy.

A Civil-Religious Power, with the Church in Control

What the papacy is, in its central essence, is the union of the power of the church and state all in one, with the power of the church on top. That is a very important concept to understand. If you do not understand that, you have no comprehension of what the papacy is all about. The papacy is a union of the church with the state, but the church is in control. So the church uses the state for its own purposes and its own ends.

The spirit of lawlessness (the papacy) goes clear back to Paul’s time, but the actual union with the church-controlled state, did not occur for the first time until 538 ad. If you were to destroy one of those, you would not have to destroy the church. The church has never been destroyed. It has existed continuously since then. But if the church and the state were not united with the authority of the church in control, you would have destroyed the essential character of the papacy. That is what the deadly wound was all about.

All through the Dark Ages the pope had controlled what was called the papal state in Italy, but in 1798 the Catholic Church did not cease to exist, but its civil power was removed for the first time since 538 ad. When they elected a new pope in 1800, he had no civil authority, and from then on the pope had no civil authority; no kingdom. That deadly wound was healed in 1929, when the papacy was given territory where they, again, had their own government on one of the seven hills in Rome. The hill on which their kingdom sits, where their government is located, is Vatican Hill, or the Vatican.

The deadly wound has been healed. There is again a union of church and state, with the church in control. That is the reason given in the public press, why President Reagan sent an Ambassador to the Vatican. Since 1867, the United States had refused to send an Ambassador to the Vatican. However, because it was said, this man is not just the head of the church, he has a state government; he is the head of a state; a king of a state, as well as the head of a church, so it is right that he should have a representative from all governments of the world. The deadly wound was healed, but after the deadly wound was healed, he blasphemed those who dwell in heaven. (See Revelation 13:6.)

A Worldwide Super Power

“It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them.” This again is a very conclusive identifying mark. It says in Revelation 13:7, “Authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.” Revelation 13:7.

So this is a super power, with authority worldwide. This again is a very conclusive identifying mark. That could never apply to Communism, because Communism has never had authority over every tribe, tongue, people and nation. They tried, but they did not make it.

“All who dwell on the earth will worship him.” (Verse 8.) Again, it shows the antichrist is a religion.

The number of this beast, this antichrist power, “is the number of a man,” and the number is 666.

The Weight of Evidence Points to the Papacy

There are a few other marks of the antichrist power in 1 John 2 and 1 John 4, and also some about the future in 2 Thessalonians 2, that we did not cover. But if you put all of these things together, the antichrist power can only be one thing. It could not apply to anything else. This one power meets every one of the over 60 descriptions and identifying marks given in this article, and that power is the papacy.

Even though Jesus said, “‘Judge not, that ye be not judged,’” Matthew 7:6, we are living in a time when world governments want to do this very thing. They pass legislation against hate crimes, because the devil is trying to make it so that you and I cannot tell people who is the antichrist power. That is the devil’s goal, to make it impossible for us to get out the word.

That is why, friends, we need to pray and ask the Lord to help us quickly get out the word about who the antichrist power is, because very soon we are not going to be able to do it. Our Bibles will be taken away from us. We are not going to be able to distribute The Great Controversy. It is going to be impossible to send out The National Sunday Law books, or any books that tell the truth about the antichrist

The Lord has held things open for the people of this world to find out these things for many years. But the time is coming when the Lord is going to allow our religious liberties to be taken away, and right at the end, we will not have religious liberty. Right now if you know somebody who is deceived, confused, or does not know the truth, you need to help them find the truth about who the antichrist is, because if they worship it, or if they receive its mark, they are going to receive the plagues. And, friends, the plagues could be coming sooner than we realize.

We are living in the last days. Things are winding up. When I was a boy I was told that these things would happen, but it was way down in the future. It is happening right now! You need to not only know who the antichrist is, but you need to prepare to answer in a court, or tell your neighbor or anyone who is looking for truth.

Are you ready? We are on the winning side, even though it is not going to look like it for a little while. Ellen White says, in the book Adventist Apocalypse, that for a little while it is going to look like Satan has won the great controversy. But he is not going to win; truth in righteousness is going to triumph. And if you stay with the Three Angels’ Messages, when the Three Angels’ Messages triumph, you will triumph with them.

Part II

Editorial – The Overwhelming Surprise, Part I

by

Many times, in these editorials, our attention has been called to the fact that all people, including born-again Christians, are in danger of being surprised by the sudden end of all things earthly. This is the message of the prophets, of Jesus, of the apostles, and of the testimonies of the Holy Spirit in the last days. Because we are all in danger of being surprised, and almost all of us will be totally surprised at the suddenness of the end, our only safety is to be ready at all times. What is involved in being ready for this surprise will be the subject of later editorials in this series.

The following statements show that the end will come as a great surprise:

“When they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them.…And they shall not escape.” 1 Thessalonians 5:3.

“The solemn fact is to be kept not only before the people of the world, but before our own churches also, that the day of the Lord will come suddenly, unexpectedly.…Let no one feel that he is secure from the danger of being surprised. Let no one’s interpretation of prophecy rob you of the conviction of the knowledge of events which show that this great event is near at hand.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 335.

“Ought men to be surprised over a sudden and unexpected change in the dealings of the Supreme Ruler with the inhabitants of a fallen world? Ought they to be surprised when punishment follows transgression and increasing crime? Ought they to be surprised that God should bring destruction and death upon those whose ill-gotten gains have been obtained through deception and fraud? Notwithstanding the fact that increasing light regarding God’s requirements has been shining on their pathway, many have refused to recognize Jehovah’s rulership, and have chosen to remain under the black banner of the originator of all rebellion against the government of heaven.” Prophets and Kings, 276.

“Character is revealed by a crisis. When the earnest voice proclaimed at midnight, ‘Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him,’ the sleeping virgins roused from their slumbers, and it was seen who had made preparation for the event. Both parties were taken unawares, but one was prepared for the emergency, and the other was found without preparation. Character is revealed by circumstances. Emergencies bring out the true metal of character.…It will be made manifest whether or not there is any real faith in the promises of the word of God. It will be made manifest whether or not the soul is sustained by grace, whether there is oil in the vessel with the lamp.” Review and Herald, September 17, 1895.

“We know not when the Master will come to settle the accounts of His servants. Let us be always prepared to meet Him in peace. The probation of any one of us may cease in a moment. Death by accident may suddenly and unexpectedly close our earthly history. How stands our life-record today?” Ibid., July 2, 1901.

“The Lord is anxious to save us. He is anxious that everything separating us from Him should be put away, that our hearts may beat in unison with heaven. It is time to be in harmony with God.…When probation ends it will come suddenly, unexpectedly—at a time when we are least expecting it. But we can have a clean record in heaven today, and know that God accepts us; and finally, if faithful, we shall be gathered into the kingdom of heaven.” Sermons and Talks, vol. 1, 378.

Bible Study Guides – Consecration

by

January 20 – 26, 2002

MEMORY VERSE: “So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:33.

STUDY HELP: Steps to Christ, 43–48.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: “God does not require us to give up anything that it is for our best interest to retain.” Steps to Christ, 46.

INTRODUCTION: “We are now living in the closing scenes of this world’s history. Let men tremble with the sense of the responsibility of knowing the truth. The ends of the world are come. Proper consideration of these things will lead all to make an entire consecration of all that they have and are to their God.…” Evangelism, 16.

Christ Gave All

1 What did Jesus say He had come to give? Matthew 20:28.

NOTE: “What a theme for meditation is the sacrifice that Jesus made for lost sinners! ‘He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.’ How shall we estimate the blessings thus brought within our reach? Could Jesus have suffered more? Could He have purchased for us richer blessings? Should it not melt the hardest heart when we remember that for our sakes He left the happiness and glory of heaven and suffered poverty and shame, cruel affliction and a terrible death? Had He not by His death and resurrection opened for us the door of hope, we should have known nothing but the horrors of darkness and the miseries of despair.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 316.

“Wonderful—almost too wonderful for man to comprehend—is the Saviour’s sacrifice in our behalf, shadowed forth in all the sacrifices of the past, in all the services of the typical sanctuary.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 309.

2 What does the Bible say Jesus’ sacrifice is to us? 1 Peter 2:21.

NOTE: “Do you feel that it is too great a sacrifice to yield all to Christ? Ask yourself the question, ‘What has Christ given for me?’ The Son of God gave all—life and love and suffering—for our redemption. And can it be that we, the unworthy objects of so great love, will withhold our hearts from Him?” Steps to Christ, 45.

“Christ came to do His Father’s will. Are we following in His steps? All who have named the name of Christ should be constantly seeking for a more intimate acquaintance with Him, that they may walk even as He walked, and do the works of Christ. We should appropriate the lessons of His life to our lives. Christ ‘gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.’” Testimonies, vol. 3, 538.

“Strive to Enter In”

3 How many ways does the Bible say a man can go in this life? Matthew 7:13-14.

NOTE: “These roads are distinct, separate, in opposite directions. One leads to eternal life, the other to eternal death. I saw the distinction between these roads, also the distinction between the companies traveling them. The roads are opposite; one is broad and smooth, the other narrow and rugged. So the parties that travel them are opposite in character, in life, in dress, and in conversation.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 127.

“In the broad road all are occupied with their persons, their dress, and the pleasures in the way. They indulge freely in hilarity and glee, and think not of their journey’s end, of the certain destruction at the end of the path. Every day they approach nearer their destruction; yet they madly rush on faster and faster. Oh, how dreadful this looked to me!” Ibid., 128.

4 What must we do to seek entrance to the narrow way? Luke 13:24.

NOTE: “I have stated before them that, from what was shown me, but a small number of those now professing to believe the truth would eventually be saved—not because they could not be saved, but because they would not be saved in God’s own appointed way. The way marked out by our divine Lord is too narrow and the gate too strait to admit them while grasping the world or while cherishing selfishness or sin of any kind. There is no room for these things; and yet there are but few who will consent to part with them, that they may pass the narrow way and enter the strait gate.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 445, 446.

“Many ‘will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.’ Luke 13:24. They desire the good, they make some effort to obtain it; but they do not choose it; they have not a settled purpose to secure it at the cost of all things.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 143.

I Die Daily

5 To follow Jesus, what does He say we must do? Luke 9:23.

NOTE: “The yoke and the cross are symbols representing the same thing,—the giving up of the will to God. Wearing the yoke unites finite man in companionship with the dearly beloved Son of God. Lifting the cross cuts away self from the soul, and places man where he learns how to bear Christ’s burdens. We cannot follow Christ without wearing His yoke, without lifting the cross and bearing it after Him. If our will is not in accord with the divine requirements, we are to deny our inclinations, give up our darling desires, and step in Christ’s footsteps.” Ellen G. White Comments, SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 1090, 1091.

“Self-surrender is the substance of the teachings of Christ.” The Desire of Ages, 523.

6 What did the apostle Paul do daily? 1 Corinthians 15:31.

NOTE: “The Lord requires us to be submissive to His will, subdued by His Spirit, and sanctified to His service. Selfishness must be put away, and we must overcome every defect in our characters as Christ overcame. In order to accomplish this work, we must die daily to self. Said Paul: ‘I die daily.’ He had a new conversion every day, took an advance step toward heaven. To gain daily victories in the divine life is the only course that God approves. The Lord is gracious, of tender pity, and plenteous in mercy. He knows our needs and weaknesses, and He will help our infirmities if we only trust in Him and believe that He will bless us and do great things for us.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 66, 67. See also Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 143, “The only hope…”.

Separation

7 What does God command us to do as a part of the process of becoming His sons and daughters? 2 Corinthians 6:17, 18; 7:1.

NOTE: “The first thirty years of Christ’s life were passed in retirement. Ministering angels waited upon the Lord of life as He walked side by side with the peasants and laborers among the hills of Nazareth, unrecognized and unhonored. These noble examples should teach us to avoid evil influences and to shun the society of those who do not live aright. We should not flatter ourselves that we are too strong for any such influences to affect us, but we should in humility guard ourselves from danger.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 109.

“It is soon to be known who is on the Lord’s side, who will not be ashamed of Jesus. Those who have not moral courage to conscientiously take their position in the face of unbelievers, leave the fashions of the world, and imitate the self-denying life of Christ, are ashamed of Him, and do not love His example.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 287.

8 What startling statement does Jesus give to any who are thinking about becoming His disciple? Luke 14:33.

NOTE: “But what do we give up, when we give all? A sin-polluted heart, for Jesus to purify, to cleanse by His own blood, and to save by His matchless love. And yet men think it hard to give up all! I am ashamed to hear it spoken of, ashamed to write it. God does not require us to give up anything that it is for our best interest to retain. In all that He does, He has the well-being of His children in view. Would that all who have not chosen Christ might realize that He has something vastly better to offer them than they are seeking for themselves.” Steps to Christ, 46.

“Whatever shall divert the affections from God must be given up. Mammon is the idol of many. Its golden chain binds them to Satan. Reputation and worldly honor are worshiped by another class. The life of selfish ease and freedom from responsibility is the idol of others. These are Satan’s snares, set for unwary feet. But these slavish bands must be broken; the flesh must be crucified with the affections and lusts. We cannot be half the Lord’s and half the world’s. We are not God’s people unless we are such entirely.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 83.

Profession versus Possession

9 What danger did God say would come to the professed church of God in the last days? 2 Timothy 3:1, 4, 5.

NOTE: “Divine truth exerts little influence upon the world, when it should exert much influence through our practice. The mere profession of religion abounds, but it has little weight. We may claim to be followers of Christ, we may claim to believe every truth in the word of God; but this will do our neighbor no good unless our belief is carried into our daily life. Our profession may be as high as heaven, but it will save neither ourselves nor our fellow men unless we are Christians. A right example will do more to benefit the world than all our profession.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 383.

“This is the word of the living God. The law is God’s great moral looking glass. Man is to compare his words, his spirit, his actions with the Word of God.…True religion means living the Word in your practical life. Your profession is not of any value without the practical doing of the Word.” Ellen G. White Comments, SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 935. See also Christ’s Object Lessons, 159, “No outward observances…”.

10 Profession versus possession is markedly illustrated by Jesus in what parable? Matthew 25:7–12.

NOTE: “As Christ sat looking upon the party that waited for the bridegroom, He told His disciples the story of the ten virgins, by their experience illustrating the experience of the church that shall live just before His second coming. The two classes of watchers represent the two classes who profess to be waiting for their Lord.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 406.

“The class represented by the foolish virgins are not hypocrites. They have a regard for the truth, they have advocated the truth, they are attracted to those who believe the truth; but they have not yielded themselves to the Holy Spirit’s working.” Ibid., 411.

“The ten virgins are watching in the evening of this earth’s history. All claim to be Christians. All have a call, a name, a lamp, and all profess to be doing God’s service. All apparently wait for Christ’s appearing. But five are unready. Five will be found surprised, dismayed, outside the banquet hall.” Ibid., 412.

Abiding in Him

11 What illustration does Jesus use to represent a consecrated Christian life? John 15:4, 5.

NOTE: “There is a wide difference between a pretended union and a real connection with Christ by faith. A profession of the truth places men in the church, but this does not prove that they have a vital connection with the living Vine. A rule is given by which the true disciple may be distinguished from those who claim to follow Christ but have not faith in Him. The one class are fruit bearing, the other, fruitless. The one are often subjected to the pruning knife of God that they may bring forth more fruit; the other, as withered branches, are erelong to be severed from the living Vine.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 228, 229. See also Steps to Christ, 69, “Many have an idea…”.

12 What will be the experience of one who chooses to be a consecrated branch connected to the Vine? 2 Corinthians 5:17.

NOTE: “Through the power of Christ, men and women have broken the chains of sinful habit. They have renounced selfishness. The profane have become reverent, the drunken sober, the profligate pure. Souls that have borne the likeness of Satan have become transformed into the image of God. This change is in itself the miracle of miracles. A change wrought by the Word, it is one of the deepest mysteries of the Word. We cannot understand it; we can only believe, as declared by the Scriptures, it is ‘Christ in you, the hope of glory.’” Acts of the Apostles, 476.

“Consecrate yourself to God in the morning; make this your very first work. Let your prayer be, ‘Take me, O Lord, as wholly Thine. I lay all my plans at Thy feet. Use me today in Thy service. Abide with me, and let all my work be wrought in Thee.’ This is a daily matter. Each morning consecrate yourself to God for that day. Surrender all your plans to Him, to be carried out or given up as His providence shall indicate. Thus day by day you may be giving your life into the hands of God, and thus your life will be molded more and more after the life of Christ.” Steps to Christ, 70.

By Craig Meeker

Bible Study Guides – Repentance

by

January 13 – 19, 2002

MEMORY VERSE: “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to
be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” 11 Corinthians 7:10.

STUDY HELP: Steps to Christ, 23, 24.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: Godly sorrow comes only from beholding Jesus at Calvary.

INTRODUCTION: “The Bible does not teach that the sinner must repent before he can heed the invitation of Christ, ‘Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.’ Matthew 11:28. It is the virtue that goes forth from Christ, that leads to genuine repentance.” Steps to Christ, 26.

A Knowledge of Sin

1 Genuine repentance will involve sorrow for sin. What does the Bible declare sin to be? 1 John 3:4; Romans 3:20.

NOTE: “’Sin is the transgression of the law.’ This is the only definition of sin. Without the law there can be no transgression. ‘By the law is the knowledge of sin.’ The standard of righteousness is exceeding broad, prohibiting every evil thing.” Ellen G. White Comments, SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 951.

“I must speak the truth to all. Those who have accepted the light from God’s Word are never, never to leave an impression upon human minds that God will serve with their sins. His Word defines sin as the transgression of the law.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 115.

2 What did Paul say helped him see that he was a sinner before God? Romans 7:7, 8; 4:15.

NOTE: “Paul says that as ‘touching the righteousness which is in the law’—as far as outward acts were concerned—he was ‘blameless’ (Philippians 3:6); but when the spiritual character of the law was discerned, he saw himself a sinner. Judged by the letter of the law as men apply it to the outward life, he had abstained from sin; but when he looked into the depths of its holy precepts, and saw himself as God saw him, he bowed in humiliation and confessed his guilt. He says, ‘I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.’ Romans 7:9. When he saw the spiritual nature of the law, sin appeared in its true hideousness, and his self-esteem was gone.” Steps to Christ, 29, 30.

Repentance—a Gift from God

3 Who has promised to give us repentance? Acts 5:31.

NOTE: “Through faith we receive the grace of God; but faith is not our Saviour. It earns nothing. It is the hand by which we lay hold upon Christ, and appropriate His merits, the remedy for sin. And we cannot even repent without the aid of the Spirit of God. The Scripture says of Christ, ‘Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.’ Acts 5:31. Repentance comes from Christ as truly as does pardon.” The Desire of Ages, 175.

“Through influences seen and unseen, our Saviour is constantly at work to attract the minds of men from the unsatisfying pleasures of sin to the infinite blessings that may be theirs in Him. To all these souls, who are vainly seeking to drink from the broken cisterns of this world, the divine message is addressed, ‘Let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.’ Revelation 22:17.” Steps to Christ, 28.

4 Where will we find this most precious gift of repentance? John 3:14; 12:32; Romans 2:4. See also Acts 11:18; 11 Peter 3:9.

NOTE: “Christ must be revealed to the sinner as the Saviour dying for the sins of the world; and as we behold the Lamb of God upon the cross of Calvary, the mystery of redemption begins to unfold to our minds and the goodness of God leads us to repentance. In dying for sinners, Christ manifested a love that is incomprehensible; and as the sinner beholds this love, it softens the heart, impresses the mind, and inspires contrition in the soul.” Steps to Christ, 26, 27.

“We do not repent in order that God may love us, but He reveals to us His love in order that we may repent.” Christ’s Object Lesson, 189.

“Christ on the cross not only draws men to repentance toward God for the transgression of His law—for whom God pardons He first makes penitent—but Christ has satisfied Justice; He has proffered Himself as an atonement. His gushing blood, His broken body, satisfy the claims of the broken law, and thus He bridges the gulf which sin has made.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 341.

Repentance not to be Repented of

5 What kind of sorrow does the Bible say is necessary in order to experience genuine repentance? 2 Corinthians 7:10.

NOTE: “The mourning here [referring to Matthew 5:4] brought to view is true heart sorrow for sin. Jesus says, ‘I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me.’ John 12:32. And as one is drawn to behold Jesus uplifted on the cross, he discerns the sinfulness of humanity. He sees that it is sin which scourged and crucified the Lord of glory. He sees that, while he has been loved with unspeakable tenderness, his life has been a continual scene of ingratitude and rebellion. He has forsaken his best Friend and abused heaven’s most precious gift. He has crucified to himself the Son of God afresh and pierced anew that bleeding and stricken heart. He is separated from God by a gulf of sin that is broad and black and deep, and he mourns in brokenness of heart. Such mourning ‘shall be comforted.’ God reveals to us our guilt that we may flee to Christ, and through Him be set free from the bondage of sin, and rejoice in the liberty of the sons of God. In true contrition we may come to the foot of the cross, and there leave our burdens.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 9, 10.

6 In experiencing “godly sorrow” for his sins, what attribute did the publican reveal that the Pharisee did not? Luke 18:13, 14.

NOTE: “It is not only at the beginning of the Christian life that this renunciation of self is to be made. At every advance step heavenward it is to be renewed. All our good works are dependent on a power outside of ourselves. Therefore there needs to be a continual reaching out of the heart after God, a continual, earnest, heartbreaking confession of sin and humbling of the soul before Him. Only by constant renunciation of self and dependence on Christ can we walk safely.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 159, 160.

“It is when we most fully comprehend the love of God that we best realize the sinfulness of sin. When we see the length of the chain that was let down for us, when we understand something of the infinite sacrifice that Christ has made in our behalf, the heart is melted with tenderness and contrition.” Steps to Christ, 36.

Confess and Forsake

7 What two actions are required in genuine repentance? Proverbs 28:13.

NOTE: “The conditions of obtaining mercy of God are simple and just and reasonable. The Lord does not require us to do some grievous thing in order that we may have the forgiveness of sin. We need not make long and wearisome pilgrimages, or perform painful penances, to commend our souls to the God of heaven or to expiate our transgression; but he that confesseth and forsaketh his sin shall have mercy.” Steps to Christ, 37.

“It should be made plain that the violation of God’s law, either natural or spiritual, is sin, and that in order…to receive His blessing, sin must be confessed and forsaken.” Ministry of Healing, 228.

“Confession will not be acceptable to God without sincere repentance and reformation. There must be decided changes in the life; everything offensive to God must be put away. This will be the result of genuine sorrow for sin.” Steps to Christ, 39.

8 What is God’s promise to all who will come to Him confessing and forsaking their sins? 1 John 1:9.

NOTE: “If we had to bear our own guilt, it would crush us. But the sinless One has taken our place; though undeserving, He has borne our iniquity. ‘If we confess our sins,’ God ‘is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’ 1 John 1:9. Glorious truth!—just to His own law, and yet the Justifier of all that believe in Jesus. ‘Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retaineth not His anger forever, because He delighteth in mercy.’ Micah 7:18.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 116.

“True confession is always of a specific character, and acknowledges particular sins. They may be of such a nature as to be brought before God only; they may be wrongs that should be confessed to individuals who have suffered injury through them; or they may be of a public character, and should then be as publicly confessed. But all confession should be definite and to the point, acknowledging the very sins of which you are guilty.” Steps to Christ, 38.

A Biblical Example

9 Who has God made a witness of what constitutes true repentance? Isaiah 55:3, 4.

NOTE: “Many have murmured at what they called God’s injustice in sparing David, whose guilt was so great, after having rejected Saul for what appear to them to be far less flagrant sins. But David humbled himself and confessed his sin, while Saul despised reproof and hardened his heart in impenitence. This passage in David’s history is full of significance to the repenting sinner. It is one of the most forcible illustrations given us of the struggles and temptations of humanity, and of genuine repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Through all the ages it has proved a source of encouragement to souls that, having fallen into sin, were struggling under the burden of their guilt. Thousands of the children of God, who have been betrayed into sin, when ready to give up to despair have remembered how David’s sincere repentance and confession were accepted by God, notwithstanding he suffered for his transgression; and they also have taken courage to repent and try again to walk in the way of God’s commandments.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 726.

10 After confessing his sins, what else did David ask God to give him? Psalm 51:10.

NOTE: “God’s forgiveness is not merely a judicial act by which He sets us free from condemnation. It is not only forgiveness for sin, but reclaiming from sin. It is the outflow of redeeming love that transforms the heart. David had the true conception of forgiveness when he prayed, ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.’ Psalm 51:10.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 114.

“The prayer of David after his fall, illustrates the nature of true sorrow for sin. His repentance was sincere and deep. There was no effort to palliate his guilt; no desire to escape the judgment threatened, inspired his prayer. David saw the enormity of his transgression; he saw the defilement of his soul; he loathed his sin. It was not for pardon only that he prayed, but for purity of heart. He longed for the joy of holiness—to be restored to harmony and communion with God.” Steps to Christ, 24, 25.

“Whoever under the reproof of God will humble the soul with confession and repentance, as did David, may be sure that there is hope for him. Whoever will in faith accept God’s promises, will find pardon. The Lord will never cast away one truly repentant soul. He has given this promise: ‘Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me.’ Isaiah 27:5. ‘Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.’ Isaiah 55:7.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 726.

PROCRASTINATION

11 What did the convicted Felix tell the apostle Paul after listening to a message of “righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come”? Acts 24:25.

NOTE: “Beware of procrastination. Do not put off the work of forsaking your sins and seeking purity of heart through Jesus. Here is where thousands upon thousands have erred to their eternal loss. I will not here dwell upon the shortness and uncertainty of life; but there is a terrible danger—a danger not sufficiently understood—in delaying to yield to the pleading voice of God’s Holy Spirit, in choosing to live in sin; for such this delay really is. Sin, however small it may be esteemed, can be indulged in only at the peril of infinite loss. What we do not overcome, will overcome us and work out our destruction.” Steps to Christ, 32, 33.

12 What are we told Esau could not find? Hebrews 12:16, 17.

NOTE: “Every act of transgression, every neglect or rejection of the grace of Christ, is reacting upon yourself; it is hardening the heart, depraving the will, benumbing the understanding, and not only making you less inclined to yield, but less capable of yielding, to the tender pleading of God’s Holy Spirit.” Ibid, 33.

“Christ is ready to set us free from sin, but He does not force the will; and if by persistent transgression the will itself is wholly bent on evil, and we do not desire to be set free, if we will not accept His grace, what more can He do? We have destroyed ourselves by our determined rejection of His love. ‘Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.’ ‘Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.’ 11 Corinthians 6:2; Hebrews 3:7, 8.” Ibid, 34.

By Craig Meeker