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Restoring the Temple – God’s Original Diet

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When God created the Garden of Eden with all the beautiful plants, shrubs, trees, birds, animals, fish, and man, He proclaimed that “[it was] very good.” Genesis 1:31. Everything, including man, was in its perfect state; and every living thing was doing exactly what it was originally designed to do. This included the diet of each creature.

Original Diet

To man, “God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which [is] upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which [is] the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein [there is] life, [I have given] every green herb for meat: and it was so.” Genesis 1:29, 30.

This constituted our original diet, which God gave us when we were in a perfect environment. Let us understand what it was. “Behold, I have given you every herb [a plant without a strong woody stem or trunk] bearing seed” is generally understood to mean grains (wheat, oats, corn, rice, rye, barley, millet, etc.), seeds (sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame, flax, etc.), legumes (soybeans, kidney beans, lentils, split peas, peanuts, etc.), and other foods containing seed, some of which we today call vegetables (eggplants, bell peppers, pumpkins, cucumbers, tomatoes, okra, squashes, melons, etc.). “ . . . and every tree [plant with a strong woody stem such as a shrub, bush, or tree], in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed.” This is generally understood to mean fruits (oranges, lemons, cranberries, apples, pears, mangos, strawberries, dates, cherries, blueberries, bananas, coconuts, avocados, olives, etc.), and nuts (almonds, pecans, cashews, walnuts, chestnuts, pine nuts, brazil, etc.). The green plants of the field were the food for the animals and birds.

Appointed Diet

After Adam and Eve sinned, God told them, “Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb [plants] of the field.” Genesis 3:18. Now God instructed man to also eat of the plants of the field, which originally were given for the animals to eat. This is generally understood to mean leafy, flower, and root vegetables (lettuce, spinach, parsley, fennel, beets, Brussels sprouts, watercress, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, turnips, potatoes, garlic, onions, etc.). This was very wise on God’s part, because many of the vegetables contain medicinal properties that are necessary to sustain us in a sinful, polluted world. This new diet was God’s appointed diet for man.

Temporary Diet

Many years later God destroyed all living things from the face of the earth by the Flood, except the occupants of the ark. When Noah and his family emerged from the ark, there were no trees, bushes, greenery, or plants of any kind available for food. It was going to take a little while before they could get gardens planted and harvested and trees ready to bear. So God gave them permission to eat the flesh of animals and to use their products. God said, “Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.” Genesis 9:3. God gave them permission to use meat temporarily or as a temporary diet because of insufficient plant food available immediately after the Flood. Shortly after man began eating meat, his lifespan dropped from almost 1,000 years to less than 100 years.

During the time of the Israelites’ wandering in the wilderness, God endeavored to start weaning His people from flesh and animal products. He gave them instructions as to which animals to eat and which ones not to eat; He told them “to make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.” Leviticus 11:47. However, when God gave the Israelites only manna to eat, they were not too happy. Instead, they craved the fleshpots of Egypt. After much murmuring and complaining, they were given quails to eat, but as a result many of them died.

Restitution

The Bible tells us of restitution or restoration: “ . . . the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” Acts. 3:21. In other words, there will be a time of restoration among God’s people, of getting back to the way God appointed things to be. Of course, this includes diet. During the reign of sin here on earth, God appointed our diet to consist of plant foods: grains, fruits, nuts, and vegetables. Flesh and animal products were given because of a temporary need when there was not enough plant food to sustain Noah and his family after the Flood. However, now that need does not exist, and certainly we are approaching the times of restitution. Thus, it is time that we gradually make the transition back to God’s appointed diet.

In God’s kingdom, there will be no death, nothing will eat any other creature, and humans will not kill animals and eat their flesh or use their products that were intended for the nourishment of their young. Isaiah describes that wonderful time: “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” Isaiah 11:6–9

Let us not be like the ancient Israelites who complained and murmured against God when He tried to get them away from animal products. Let us instead focus on the exciting time ahead of us in the times of restitution, and get ready for those times by training our taste buds to enjoy the food God intended us to eat: first, the appointed diet while we are yet in this sinful world and, eventually, God’s original diet when we are finally fully restored.

If you would like more information on how to make a transition to God’s appointed diet, or on how to live a healthy lifestyle, please contact us at the following address or telephone number:

The Gilead Institute of America
6000 Live Oak Parkway, Suite 114
Norcross, Georgia 30093
Phone: 770-270-1087
Web site: www.gileadinstitute.org

Diane Herbert is a naturopath and lifestyle consultant. She received training from the NAD Lifestyle Consultant program, Thomas Edison State College, Clayton College of Natural Healing, and Bastyr University. Diane teaches health classes at the Gilead Institute located in Norcross, Georgia, gives health presentations, and contributes to the Institute’s literature and health flyer series. She may be contacted by e-mail at: gilead.net@usa.net.

 

If the Foundations be Destroyed, Part II

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The Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy give us important information to let us know how near we really are to the close of human probation. As we continue this study, I encourage you to continually ask yourself, Am I ready for Jesus to come?

Coming Storm

This portion of the study will begin with Revelation 13. This chapter should be extremely familiar to each one of us, so this should just be a review of what the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy tell us about this chapter and what is happening right now. We are told that a storm is coming that is relentless in its fury, and that it is going to burst upon both Seventh-day Adventists and those in the world alike, as an overwhelming surprise.

To make sure that we are all on the same page, before we begin this study, look first at verses 1 and 2: “Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like [the feet of] a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.” About whom is this speaking? It is the papacy. The leopard-like beast is the papacy. It is the first beast of Revelation 13.

Eight Identifiers

Now, read verse 11, in which eight identifying marks of a second power are given: “Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon.” Take a closer look at the identifying marks: (1) “Then,” meaning another power, or another nation, was arising at that time when the papacy received a deadly wound in 1798. (2) It is “another beast.” Remember that a beast in Bible prophecy is a nation or a power. (3) Not so readily identified is the mark of “coming up.” This is translated from the Greek word anabaino, which means, “to spring up like a plant.” Here is a nation that is growing into power. Unlike the other nations that conquered through war, it is coming up out of the earth. (4) The “earth” represents a sparsely populated area. The first beast (verses 1, 2) came up out of the sea, which represents people, multitudes, tongues, and nations. (See Revelation 17:15.) This “lamb” represents the United States of America. (See The Great Controversy, 440.) (5) And then the text says that this beast had “two horns.” These represent Republicanism and Protestantism. (See The Great Controversy, 441.) (6) This beast is “like a lamb.” The word lamb is used 27 times in the Book of Revelation, and 26 of those times it is used as a symbol for Jesus. In this text, it represents a Christ-like nation. (7) And, it says, “he spake.” How does a nation speak? It speaks through its legislation. (8) Then it is described as being “like a dragon.” From Revelation 12:9 and 20:2, we know that a dragon represents Satan! The two horns of this beast are going to speak like a dragon!

Exercise All Power

Laws are going to be framed in the United States to restrict liberty of conscience. We are told, in verse 12, that he, the lamb-like beast with two horns—Republicanism and Protestantism—shall exercise all the power of the first beast—the papacy, the leopard-like beast. And, this passage continues, “[he] causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he does great wonders, so that he makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.” Verses 12–14.

“An image” could be stated as “a likeness to.” It would be correct terminology to state that this beast, this image, is a likeness to the papacy. In other words, we are going to see the two horns, Republicanism and Protestantism, unite as they did in the Dark Ages, when the state gained control of the church and restricted religious freedom.

“And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak” through its laws, “and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” Verse 15.

In 1780, Benjamin Franklin said, “When a religion is good, I conceive that it will support itself; and, when it cannot support itself, and God does not take care to support, so that its professors are obliged to call for the help of the civil power, it is a sign, I apprehend, of its being a bad one.” “Benjamin Franklin on Religion,” http://www.worldpolicy.org/.

Apostasy

Let us look at this image to the beast for a moment. Ellen White wrote: “It was apostasy that led the early church to seek the aid of the civil government, and this prepared the way for the development of the papacy—the beast. Said Paul: ‘There’ shall ‘come a falling away, . . . and that man of sin be revealed.’ 11 Thessalonians 2:3.” The Great Controversy, 443, 444. What is apostasy? It is when you turn your back on the truth. What do you accept when you turn your back on the truth? Error! This is what led the early church to seek the aid of the civil government, and it prepared the way for the development of the papacy, the beast.

When the church turns its back upon the truth, that means it is going to prepare the way for the image to the beast, and the image is going to speak “and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.”

Continuing from The Great Controversy, 443, we read: “But what is the ‘image to the beast’? and how is it to be formed? The image is made by the two-horned beast, and is an image to the beast. It is also called an image of the beast. Then to learn what the image is like and how it is to be formed we must study the characteristics of the beast itself—the papacy.

“When the early church became corrupted by departing from the simplicity of the gospel and accepting heathen rites and customs, she lost the Spirit and power of God; and in order to control the consciences of the people, she sought the support of the secular power.”

Did you take notice of what happens as a church departs from truth? It apostatizes, and it turns its back on truth and accepts error and fables in its stead. It loses the Spirit and power of God.

Lawlessness

If the early church would have remained faithful to God, the whole world could have been converted. But as a result of the church backing away from the truth, she lost the Spirit and power of God and the power to convert souls. The church lost the power to go out and preach, as did Peter on the day of Pentecost, when 3,000 souls were added to the number of believers. (Acts 2:38–41.) She lost that power, and any church that follows in that same path today will lose the power and Spirit of God. What, then, shall prevail in society? Lawlessness!

Just as Jesus said, iniquity, or lawlessness, shall abound. (See Matthew 24:11, 12.) We have been hearing from pulpits all around the land that the law has been done away. What do we expect to happen to society when the law has been done away? Lawlessness! That is the inevitable result of such preaching.

“The result was the papacy, a church that controlled the power of the state and employed it to further her own ends, especially for the punishment of ‘heresy.’ ” Ibid. That is a doctrine not sanctioned by the church.

“The ‘image to the beast’ represents that form of apostate Protestantism which will be developed when the Protestant churches shall seek the aid of the civil power for the enforcement of their dogmas.” Ibid., 445. Is this becoming increasingly clear? We see those two horns coming together; church and state shall unite.

Common Points

Over a hundred years ago, Ellen White penned: “The wide diversity of belief in the Protestant churches is regarded by many as decisive proof that no effort to secure a forced uniformity can ever be made. But there has been for years, in churches of the Protestant faith, a strong and growing sentiment in favor of a union based upon common points of doctrine. To secure such a union, the discussion of subjects upon which all were not agreed—however important they might be from a Bible standpoint—must necessarily be waived.” Ibid., 444.

What is going to happen in the United States? Churches are going to unite on common points of doctrine and on those things that are not important; those doctrines that are not essential, they say, have to be waived.

Notice this: “When this shall be gained, then, in the effort to secure complete uniformity, it will be only a step to the resort to force.” Ibid., 445. Do you know how close we are to this right now? I believe that God is holding this wind back for just a little while longer, and He is allowing it to happen in little, tiny increments, because He sees that we are not ready.

We are not ready! We are not prepared for what is going to come upon this earth, especially in the United States.

“When the leading churches of the United States, uniting upon such points of doctrine as are held by them in common, shall influence the state to enforce their decrees and to sustain their institutions, then Protestant America will have formed an image of the Roman hierarchy, and the infliction of civil penalties upon dissenters will inevitably result.” Ibid., 445.

Is this happening today? Are churches uniting today? Friend, what are we still doing? If we know this, what are we doing right now to prepare for this crisis? Ellen White wrote about it over a hundred years ago, and we are still here today! This unification has been happening, increments at a time. It has been happening, and Seventh-day Adventists have not been aware of it.

Catholic Ascendancy

In 1963, the July 25 issue of Catholic News quoted from a former Catholic priest: “There is, ere long, to be a state religion in this country, and that state religion is to be the Roman Catholic. . . . The Roman Catholic is to wield his vote for the purpose of securing Catholic ascendancy in this country.” Frank Hecker, Catholic World, July 1870.

What do you suppose it is today? In 1964, Cardinal Richard Cushing, the renowned archbishop of Boston, Massachusetts, shook up the Catholic Church by praising Billy Graham! He encouraged Catholics to hear the evangelist. Cushing remarked that he would stop worrying about the Catholic Church’s future in America if they had half a dozen men like Graham. (Billy Graham, “We Are Brothers,” “A Christianity Today editorial,” Christianity Today, June 2005, http://www.ctlibrary.com/ct/2005/june/17.28.html, posted May 24, 2005.)

Catholic and evangelical efforts towards fellowship have largely followed the Cushing-Graham model in unofficial individual and sporadic meetings. For this reason, Pope John Paul’s encyclical letter, in which he stated, “ . . . that they may be one,” is so important. Released in 1995, this teaching fueled the ecumenical movement and started at the second Vatican Council by inviting debate about Catholic doctrine. The document acknowledges for the first time in papal history that the Vatican authority hinders cooperation between such church traditions. (Graham, Christianity Today, June 2005.)

Do you realize that as far back as the 1960s Billy Graham never had a crusade without Catholic priests and nuns present in his audience? And whenever he made his famous altar calls, he would have every single card completed by those individuals who came forward given to the priests and the nuns. (Dr. Cathy Burns, Billy Graham and His Friends: A Hidden Agenda? Sharing, November 2001, 35.)

Billy Graham had never met a pope until John Paul II invited him to Rome in 1981. Ushered into the papal apartments by the Vatican’s swift guards, Graham marveled at the pomp. He and the Pope chatted like long lost friends for 30 minutes, swapping photos, gifts, and travel stories. Before Graham left, John Paul II reached over and clutched Graham’s thumb, and told him, “We are brothers.” Graham revealed nothing of the Pope’s message in 1981. At the time of their meeting, John Paul II had been pope for less than three years. An assertion of spiritual kinship would have been ill received by the bulk of their constituencies, both Catholic and Protestant, but by 1990, when Graham related this story to Time magazine journalist David Akman, the climate had changed considerably. Key to the thaw was John Paul II’s effort to beat back Communism worldwide. He became the hero of freedom. (Graham, Christianity Today, June 2005.)

From what we have read, as given in the Spirit of Prophecy, and from what has been given in the previous paragraphs, does the papacy ever change? No, she shall never change! She is the same despotic, cruel, persecuting power that she was during the Dark Ages. She is only waiting to spring into power.

Moral Relativism

The late Pope John Paul II has been lionized in evangelical eulogies and lauded by the United States President, George W. Bush, as a humble, wise, and fearless priest who became one of history’s greatest moral leaders and a hero for the ages. Why the sudden change? John Paul II offered a winsome face of Christianity to the world and leaves behind a Roman Catholic Church firmly opposed to moral relativism.

You may read more about this at the following web sites:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0504/02/bn.04.html.

Allow me to interject a thought here from the Spirit of Prophecy: “It is a part of her policy to assume the character which will best accomplish her purpose; but beneath the variable appearance of the chameleon she conceals the invariable venom of the serpent.” The Great Controversy, 571.

Graham, in his June 2005 Christianity Today editorial, stated, “He [Pope John Paul II] reinforced the Second Vatican Council’s commitment to seek renewal in the sources of classic Christianity, Scripture, and the church fathers. And while significant differences remain, examples include ecclesiastical authority, the means of grace, and the relationship of justification through sanctification. Evangelicals can confidently engage a Catholic Church committed to fundamental truths.” Are they committed to the truths of God’s Word? This is not what I read!

The ECT

Evangelicals and Catholics Together (ECT) is a group comprised equally of Evangelicals and Catholics—40 altogether. If I named the members, you would recognize every single one. In one of its documents, “The Christian Mission In The Third Millennium,” it is shown what these Catholics and Evangelicals agreed upon when they met together. You may read the complete 25-page document on the Internet.

Upon what did the Spirit of Prophecy say Protestants and Catholics are going to unite? “Common points of doctrine,” and when this uniformity is secure, what is going to happen? “When this shall be gained, then, in the effort to secure complete uniformity, it will be only a step to the resort to force.”

Following are some of the points upon which the ECT agreed:

Number One: Jesus Christ is Lord. Do you suppose that Catholics and Protestants can agree upon that? Can they agree upon it when Catholics call the pope, “the Lord God” upon earth?

Number Two: Salvation is only in Christ. Can Catholics and Protestants agree upon those two things? From what I read, the Catholic gains his grace through the Mass, not through Christ.

Number Three: All who accept Jesus are brothers. “Evangelicals and Catholics are brothers and sisters in Christ.”

Ellen White wrote: “The Christian world has sanctioned his [the papacy] efforts by adopting this child of the papacy,—the Sunday institution. They have nourished it, and will continue to nourish it, until Protestantism shall give the hand of fellowship to the Roman power. Then there will be a law against the Sabbath of God’s creation, and then it is that God ‘will do a strange work in the earth.’ ” Review and Herald, March 9, 1886.

Protestantism is giving that right hand of fellowship to the Roman power.

To be continued . . .

Pastor Mike Bauler serves as pastor of the Historic Message Church in Portland, Oregon. He may be contacted by e-mail at: mbauler@earthlink.net.

The 144,000, Part I

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There are many questions concerning the 144,000. Some can be answered; others cannot. For instance, is the 144,000 a literal or a symbolic number? Are the 144,000 sealed before or after the latter rain? Will the 144,000 convert a great multitude to God’s truth? Why will the 144,000 be translated without dying? What are the character developments that are necessary to become a part of the 144,000?

In this article, we will not dabble into speculation nor will we claim any new light, but we will search for what has been revealed in the Bible and in the Spirit of Prophecy.

From Scripture, we may read of the 144,000 in Revelation 7:2–4, 13, 14 and Revelation 14:1–5: “And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: [and there were] sealed an hundred [and] forty [and] four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.” “And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

“And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty [and] four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred [and] forty [and] four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, [being] the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.”

Different Standard

There are various members of our faith who are heard declaring that the 144,000 are no different from any other generation of God’s people. They say that God does not have two different standards, one for the 144,000 and one for all other generations. They insist that this is absurd. The 144,000 will be different only in that they will be alive when Jesus comes. Is this really true, or will the 144,000 be in some respect different? If so, what will make them different?

We first need to establish a very important truth. It is true that God does not have a different standard of salvation for the translated living and another for the resurrected, dead saints. Those who die must, at death, be right with God. They must be both justified and sanctified. As individuals, they must stop committing known sin, and invite Christ to dwell in their hearts by faith, and to give them the needed power to willingly obey their Lord. They will have been washing their robes of character and making them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Although the standard of salvation for both the living last generation and the dead saints is the same, there is a difference. Why? Because the severe end-time trials and great tribulations that the last generation will pass through, such as experienced by no other generation, will develop, in the 144,000 living saints, characters that will become more like Christ’s character than that of any prior generation of saints. They will reach a character maturity that will reveal that they have won the battle over evil.

“The true people of God, who have the spirit of the work of the Lord and the salvation of souls at heart, will ever view sin in its real, sinful character. They will always be on the side of faithful and plain dealing with sins which easily beset the people of God. Especially in the closing work for the church, in the sealing time of the one hundred and forty-four thousand who are to stand without fault before the throne of God, will they feel most deeply the wrongs of God’s professed people.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 266.

So intense will become their hatred of sin that they would rather die than sin. The difference will not be in the standard of salvation but in the degree of character development to which they will attain.

God has given us some Bible examples for this very purpose, so that we can clarify and better understand this difference. Let us begin with the example of Moses.

Moses

Ellen White wrote: “Moses, wearied with forty years of wandering and unbelief, lost for a moment his hold on Infinite Power. He failed just on the borders of the Promised Land.” Prophets and Kings, 174.

Consider the personal lesson we should learn from the experience of Moses, when he sinned by taking the glory from Christ in producing water from the rock. Christ uses the life of Moses as an object lesson to help us understand that there will be a difference in the experience between those who die and are resurrected, and those who are translated. Just one sin, which was immediately repented of, kept Moses from being translated, but it did not keep him from being resurrected.

“Satan had been trying to find something wherewith to accuse Moses before the angels. He exulted at his success in leading him to displease God, and he told the angels that he could overcome the Saviour of the world when He should come to redeem man. For his transgression, Moses came under the power of Satan—the dominion of death. Had he remained steadfast, the Lord would have brought him to the Promised Land, and would then have translated him to heaven without his seeing death.” Early Writings, 164.

“Had not the life of Moses been marred with that one sin, in failing to give God the glory of bringing water from the rock at Kadesh, he would have entered the Promised Land, and would have been translated to heaven without seeing death.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 478.

We know that, in the lifetime of Moses, he committed more than one sin. In fact, he even murdered a man; he killed an Egyptian. Though he had confessed and forsaken his sins, God used this one sin, which Moses knowingly committed on the banks of the Jordan River just before crossing into the Promised Land, to impress us with the fact that the living saints must make an end of sin in their lives before they enter the heavenly Canaan. Nothing could be more plainly stated!

Though God had planned on translating Moses to heaven without seeing death, he was not then ready to be a type of those who would be ready to be translated. He must die. Soon after this, Moses did die, but within a few days, God resurrected him. He was taken to heaven to become a type of the resurrected saints of God; a type of those repentant ones who will not be required to go through the special end-time circumstances and great tribulations.

Enoch

On the other hand, Enoch was a type of the living saints. Consider his record. The Bible says that he walked with God for 300 years before he was translated: “And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.” Genesis 5:21, 22.

In the book, Reflecting Christ, 307, we read, “Enoch was a marked character, and many look upon his life as something far above what the generality of mortals can ever reach. But Enoch’s life and character, which were so holy that he was translated to heaven without seeing death, represent the lives and characters of all who will be translated when Christ comes.”

Then, in Gospel Workers, 54, we read, “ ‘By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; . . . for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.’ [Hebrews 11:5.]

“To such communion God is calling us. As was Enoch’s, so must be their holiness of character who shall be redeemed from among men at the Lord’s second coming.”

This is such an important, provoking statement that the last sentence must be repeated: “As was Enoch’s, so must be their holiness of character who shall be redeemed from among men at the Lord’s second coming.”

Elijah was a type of the 144,000. He was a man of strong faith. He demonstrated this in the happenings of Mount Carmel, which are recorded in 1 Kings 18. However, after his lofty experience, “Depression seized him. . . . While under the inspiration of the Almighty, he had stood the severest trial of faith; but in this trial of discouragement, with Jezebel’s threat sounding in his ears, . . . he lost his hold on God.” Prophets and Kings, 161.

“Despondency is sinful and unreasonable.” Ibid., 164. So Elijah sinned, for “in a moment of weariness [he] allowed the fear of death to overcome his faith in God.” Ibid., 174.

Different Sins

Let us think this through for a moment. What was the difference between the sin of Moses and that of Elijah? While Moses committed sin just before he was to pass over into the Promised Land, not so in the experience of Elijah. As did Moses, he repented immediately, but he did not die soon thereafter. He lived on and demonstrated his strong faith in the Lord, which he quickly regained and maintained. God sent him back to Israel to finish bringing about a religious revival and a transformation in the land. When God finally asked him to call Elisha, a farm laborer, to replace himself, he spent some time teaching Elisha. He went from place to place with him, and from school to school, teaching him how to give the help that each needed.

Therefore, Elijah spent a number of years before he was translated demonstrating that he was a loyal, holy servant of the Lord. This is why God could declare, “Elijah was a type of the saints who will be living on the earth at the time of the second advent of Christ and who will be ‘changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump,’ without tasting of death. 1 Corinthians 15:51, 52.” Prophets and Kings, 227.

Absolute Necessity

Why is it necessary for the living saints who will be translated to be different in respect to the development of their characters? to have characters so mature that they will never again sin? What will make this maturity an absolute necessity?

First, they will be forced to meet the supreme test—that of a papal image of the beast. Second, after probation closes, they must be prepared to live sinlessly without a mediator in the sanctuary in heaven.

Let us consider the first test, the image of the beast. Some church members may have wondered, why is the Sunday sabbath, brought about by the image of the beast, to be the great test for the people of God by which their eternal destiny will be decided? Would we not naturally assume that this crisis would be a test for the world, for the unbelievers and the undecided?

The truth is that when God’s people are faced with this great test, they will be forced to make an immediate choice between life and death, as it were, between obedience and disobedience. If their characters were not already developed to the point to where they would rather die than sin, they would undoubtedly choose to sin, and thus come under Satan’s black banner. When brought to the test, God’s people will either receive the seal of God or the mark of the papal beast. Thus their eternal destiny will be forever decided.

In 1890, Ellen White wrote: “The Lord has shown me clearly that the image of the beast will be formed before probation closes; for it is to be the great test for the people of God, by which their eternal destiny will be decided. . . . [Revelation 13:11–17 quoted.] . . .

“This is the test that the people of God must have before they are sealed. All who proved their loyalty to God by observing His law, and refusing to accept a spurious sabbath, will rank under the banner of the Lord God Jehovah, and will receive the seal of the living God. Those who yield the truth of heavenly origin and accept the Sunday sabbath, will receive the mark of the beast.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 976.

What about the second reason, the close of probation? The saints who are to be translated must live through the final time of trouble, referred to as the time of Jacob’s trouble, without a mediator in the heavenly sanctuary. Probation will have closed for this wicked, old world.

Without an Intercessor

Are we aware of just what this means? It means that if a saint were to sin after probation closes, there would be no forgiveness available. I do not believe any of us now living fully realize what it will mean to live on this earth in such a chaotic condition and under such pressure of a death sentence without an intercessor.

“Those who are living upon the earth when the intercession of Christ shall cease in the sanctuary above are to stand in the sight of a holy God without a mediator. Their robes must be spotless, their characters must be purified from sin by the blood of sprinkling. Through the grace of God and their own diligent effort they must be conquerors in the battle with evil.” The Great Controversy, 425.

Christ is our only example of a man who lived on earth without an intercessor. What was the experience of Christ while He was on this earth? “Christ declared of Himself: ‘The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me.’ John 14:30. Satan could find nothing in the Son of God that would enable him to gain the victory. He had kept His Father’s commandments, and there was no sin in Him that Satan could use to his advantage. This is the condition in which those must be found who shall stand in the time of trouble.” Ibid., 623.

I trust that this is causing you and me to do some very serious thinking. In order for anyone to live on this earth without a mediator, such a one must attain to the same sinless condition lived by Christ while He was on this earth.

Gethsemane

Let us consider for a moment Christ in Gethsemane. In The Desire of Ages, 686, 687, Ellen White wrote: “Christ was now standing in a different attitude from that in which he had ever stood before. . . . Hitherto He had been an intercessor for others; now He longed to have an intercessor for Himself.

“As Christ felt His unity with the Father broken up, He feared that in His human nature He would be unable to endure the coming conflict with the power of darkness. . . . With the issues of the conflict before Him, Christ’s soul was filled with dread of separation from God. Satan told Him that if He became the surety for a sinful world, the separation would be eternal. He would be identified with Satan’s kingdom, and would nevermore be one with God.”

So, likewise, when probation closes, the saints will find themselves in a different position than they have ever been before.

Saints Enabled

How will the saints be enabled? Actually, it will be by following Christ’s earthly example. “Christ left his heavenly home, and came to this world, to show that only by being connected with divinity can man keep the law of God. In itself humanity is tainted and corrupted; but Christ brought moral power to man, and those who live in communion with him overcome as he overcame. We are not left in this world as orphans.” The Signs of the Times, December 10, 1896.

Unless the saints follow the example of Christ in joining their humanity with divinity, they will be among the lost who will be consumed at Christ’s coming. It is absolutely imperative that they have this special preparation, for God’s glory destroys all sin and sinners. Sin cannot exist in the visible presence of God, for God’s glory is a consuming fire.

The Bible is very clear in stating that the very presence of God will consume all who are found clinging to sin. 11 Thessalonians 2:8 tells us, “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.” As Christ nears this earth, his very presence will consume the sinner while consuming their sins.

Therefore, it is evident that all sin must be removed from the 144,000 in the days of preparation before they are sealed. That is the time in which we are living, for we are living in the preparation time. Times are tense. There is still opportunity for us to prepare.

Avoid Attractive Errors

Would to God that the ministers in God’s pulpits today would preach soul-stirring messages filled with divine conviction that would move the listener to sense the enormity of the sin problem, causing them to fall on their knees pleading with God for victory. Believe me, friend, this is no time for Celebration, with tame messages to satisfy the sinful nature, such as teaching congregations that they can continue sinning until Jesus comes.

Rather than representing so-called “attractive errors,” ministers should heed the counsel of Joel: “Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for [it is] nigh at hand.” “Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where [is] their God?” Joel 2:1, 16, 17.

This is the weeping time; a time for ministers to weep between the porch and the altar for all the sins that are being committed in the church. Certainly this is not a time for Celebration, for entertainment, or for preaching frivolous or smooth sermons to tickle the ear of the flocks. Rather, we ministers should sound such an alarming message that it will awaken the members of our churches from their Laodicean slumber to their need to sigh and cry for their own sins, as well as those of their fellow church members.

Ellen White informs us, “The abominations for which the faithful ones were sighing and crying were all that could be discerned by finite eyes, but by far the worst sins, those which provoked the jealousy of the pure and holy God, were unrevealed. The great Searcher of the hearts knoweth every sin committed in secret by the workers of iniquities.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 211.

So, God admonishes us to, “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.” Isaiah 58:1. Ellen White asks, “What are you doing, brethren, in the great work of preparation? Those who are uniting with the world are receiving the worldly mold and preparing for the mark of the beast. Those who are distrustful of self, who are humbling themselves before God and purifying their souls by obeying the truth—these are receiving the heavenly mold and preparing for the seal of God in their foreheads. When the decree goes forth and the stamp is impressed, their character will remain pure and spotless for eternity.” Ibid., 216. This is God’s last-day, preparation message. It is urgent, for time is short.

A True Story

A Seventh-day Adventist lady, whom I will call Rachel, lived in Oregon. She was studying God’s Word with a very godly woman. Now, Rachel had a certain problem insofar as the health reform message was concerned. Her teacher pointed out to her that the Spirit of Prophecy clearly reveals that no one will be among the living translated saints who was indulging in this certain vice. This shook Rachel up, and for two weeks she abstained. But then, forgetting her reform, she went back to the old practice with this comment, “I decided that I would go ahead and indulge myself and prepare to be among the resurrected dead rather than striving to be among the living who will be translated.”

What a dangerous reasoning! We are living in the end time, and God calls us to make preparation appropriate for the time in which we live. Surely we do not have the option of making such a choice as did Rachel. Rachel failed to realize that the standard of salvation is exactly the same for the dead as for the living. All known sins must be repented of and put away before death or before translation. If a certain practice is a sin for a living saint, one that would keep him or her from being translated, after one recognizes its sinfulness, if he or she should continue in this practice would he or she be eligible to be among the resurrected saints? This would be very questionable.

In this end time, we are admonished,

“Let us strive with all the power that God has given us to be among the hundred and forty-four thousand.” Review and Herald, March 9, 1905.

In closing, I will reaffirm the words of Ezekiel the prophet, as he appeals to ministers and laymen alike. To everyone, both the saints who will be among the living and those who will die in the Lord, Ezekiel’s message from the Lord has the same urgency as do the messages of Joel and Isaiah. Ezekiel 18:30–32 says, “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and turn [yourselves] from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn [yourselves], and live ye.”

To be continued . . .

For over 60 years Pastor Lawrence Nelson served as an evangelist and minister for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Of that time, he served 13 years as the director of evangelism for youth at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Upon retirement from the General Conference, he continued to pastor, but when, as a result of his stand for truth, he was denied the opportunity to continue his pastorate, he started Keep the Faith Audio Tape Ministry, recording his sermons and making them available to individuals. Before his retirement from this ministry in 2004, over 18,000 audio tapes were being sent around the world each month.

Recipe – Creamy Cucumber Chickpea Salad

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Ingredients

“Mayonnaise”

1 small cucumber, peeled

sea salt, to taste

2 Tbsp. raw cashews, soaked 2 hours in water, drained

2 Tbsp. toasted pine nuts, soaked 2 hours in water, drained

½ Tbsp. brown rice syrup, raw agave or coconut nectar

1 ½ Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1-2 tsp. water as needed to blend

Salad

4 ½ cups sliced cucumbers (4 medium size)

sea salt

2 cups cooked or 1 15 oz. can chickpeas, rinsed, drained

¼ cup red onion, chopped

¼ cup fresh dill weed, chopped, loosely packed or 1 Tbsp. dry, or to taste

sea salt

dash smoked paprika, garnish

Process

Place cucumber in colander; toss with salt. Drain, stirring every 10 minutes, for at least half an hour. Rinse and dry thoroughly.

Mayonnaise: Combine all ingredients in blender, scraping down sides. Add only enough water to blend smoothly.

Assemble: Combine salad ingredients—cucumbers, chickpeas, red onions, and dill in a bowl. Fold in “mayonnaise.” Add salt, additional dill as needed. Sprinkle with paprika. Serve cold.

Food – Crispy Crunchy Cool Cucumber

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A luncheon of delicate, crustless sandwiches of thinly sliced cucumber summons the feeling of long, leisurely summer afternoons. Originating in India, their cultivation dates back about 4,000 years. The Greeks and the Romans valued their medicinal qualities and feasted on them in the hot summer months. The fruit eventually wove their way to France and the rest of Europe making their way onto every continent and into every cuisine today.

Cucumbers are actually a fruit. They are members of the plant family Cucurbitaceae, which also includes squashes and melons.

“Cucumber health benefits include reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, healthy weight management, detoxifying the body, enhancing the skin, supporting eye health, improving brain health, alkalizing the blood and treating cancer. Other benefits include combating bad breath, supporting digestion, controlling blood sugar levels, maintaining adequate blood pressure, supporting bones, repairing hair, supporting nails and supporting dental health.” www.naturalfoodseries.com/13-benefits-cucumber/

Cucumbers are more than 95 percent water. The term “cool as a cucumber” is a scientific fact. The inside temperature of a cucumber can be up to 20 degrees cooler than outside air, cooling the temperature of the blood during seasons of heat or dehydration.

Drinking fresh green juice is similar to receiving an intravenous infusion of vitamins, minerals and enzymes as they go quickly into the system without having to go through the digestive process.  Juice whole cucumbers. Skin and seeds are the most nutritious part so use organic if possible. Add cucumbers to smoothies—you won’t taste them. Use for dips, sliced, especially with hummus. Incorporate into chilled soups and sandwiches. Add to any variety of salad.

 

Creamy Cucumber Chickpea Salad

Ingredients

“Mayonnaise”

1 small cucumber, peeled

sea salt, to taste

2 Tbsp. raw cashews, soaked 2 hours in water, drained

2 Tbsp. toasted pine nuts, soaked 2 hours in water, drained

½ Tbsp. brown rice syrup, raw agave or coconut nectar

1 ½ Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1-2 tsp. water as needed to blend

 

Salad

4 ½ cups sliced cucumbers (4 medium size)

sea salt

2 cups cooked or 1 15 oz. can chickpeas, rinsed, drained

¼ cup red onion, chopped

¼ cup fresh dill weed, chopped, loosely packed or 1 Tbsp. dry, or to taste

sea salt

dash smoked paprika, garnish

 

Process

Place cucumber in colander; toss with salt. Drain, stirring every 10 minutes, for at least half an hour. Rinse and dry thoroughly.

Mayonnaise: Combine all ingredients in blender, scraping down sides. Add only enough water to blend smoothly.

Assemble: Combine salad ingredients—cucumbers, chickpeas, red onions, and dill in a bowl. Fold in “mayonnaise.” Add salt, additional dill as needed. Sprinkle with paprika. Serve cold.

Life Sketches – Love – The Best Gift

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Everyone enjoys receiving a free gift and the Bible says that God is the source of every good gift. However, God gives to some people more valuable gifts than to others because those people, desire, value, and appreciate more valuable gifts that He has to give.

Talking to the Corinthian church concerning their former life, Paul reminded them that they were once Gentiles led by senseless idols, believing they received special power and wisdom from them. However, in worshiping idols they were not worshiping the one true God and what they thought they had received was not from Him.

He said, “I say … that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons” (1 Corinthians 10:19–21).

Paul was clear in saying the Gentiles were not really receiving any special wisdom from God. They were receiving wisdom or power from demons—evil spirits. The Bible is very clear that there are many evil spirits in our world seeking to gain control of our minds. They are all working under the one master evil spirit called the devil and Satan.

These evil spirits were formerly angels of God in heaven, but they fell through sin. (See 2 Peter 2; Revelation 12; Jude.) After the rebellion in heaven, one third of the angels who were deceived by Satan lost their first estate and were cast out into this earth. Since the creation of man they are seeking to gain control of the world and we have been warned that in the last days, these evil spirits will succeed in deceiving almost the entire world. (See Revelation 12:9; Revelation 13; Revelation 16; Revelation 18.)

The only protection available to man to avoid being deceived is to receive the Holy Spirit into your life. Paul said, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant” (1 Corinthians 12:1). “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all” (verses 4–6).

“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all” (verse 7) if you have been baptized into Christ. Then it says that you are to receive in your life the manifestation of the Spirit and it is to result in the profit of every other Christian. The manifestation of the spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.

You and I do not get to choose what spiritual gift we will receive, for it is the Holy Spirit who decides that. “For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues [languages], to another the translation of languages” (verses 8–10, literal translation).

Notice, Paul has specified nine different gifts that the Spirit gives to different people – wisdom, knowledge, faith, healings, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, different languages, and translation of languages.

“But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills” (verse 11). The Holy Spirit decides what gift each person receives. No one is going to receive all the gifts. They are distributed as the Spirit sees fit.

Then Paul explains how this works and how there is unity in diversity. “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as he pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be” (verses 12–19)?

What would it be if all you had for your body were eyes and no hands, or feet, or ears, or tongue, or the other things that you need to function as a human being? Eyes are wonderful, but you need more than eyes to have a body. You need ears, and you need hands, and you need feet, and you need a mind, and you need a tongue. Without a nose you could not smell, and you need a digestive system and organs to circulate the blood around your body. Without these additional parts you would not have a body.

However, Paul said, “Now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’; nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism (division) in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it” (verses 20–26).

Referring now to the church, all members are part of the same body. We are not to look on any other Christian as somebody separate from ourselves. We are to have care and regard for every other person that is part of the body of Christ. If you get up in the night, and you stub your toe, the rest of your body doesn’t say to the toe, “Well, that’s just too bad you got hurt. It’s all right with us.” No, no! The whole body sympathizes with the toe that got hurt. It is the same way with any other part of the body. The whole body works together and every part of it is in sympathy with every other part. That is the way Paul says the church is to be. Every member is to be in sympathy with every other member.

Paul said, “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually” (verse 27). You are individual members with different offices, but all are to cooperate with each other and have sympathy for each other.

“God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues [languages]” (verse 28). Then he asks, “Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with languages [foreign languages]” (verse 29)? No, not everybody does. “Do all interpret, [that is, do all interpret foreign languages]” (verse 30)? No, not everybody does but imagine the impact when all of those gifts are available in the church in one body.

While in Ephesus, Paul found some disciples of Jesus and asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit when they believed. They answered him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit” (Acts 19:2). They informed him that they had been baptized into John’s [the Baptist] baptism. Paul then explained to them what Jesus had said to His disciples before He ascended to heaven. He said, “John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:5).

It was God’s will from that time on that every person who professed to be a Christian and was baptized would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. “When they [the disciples in Ephesus] heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied” (Acts 19:5, 6).

O, friend, God wants to give gifts to His people. He wants to give gifts to everyone who has taken the name of Christ, to everyone who has chosen to be a disciple of the Christian religion. The Holy Spirit wants to give you a gift.

Paul said there is a gift that every member is to receive. Jesus made that very clear that this gift is more important, it is of greater value, than any other gift that the Holy Spirit could give to you.

Many people think that it is wonderful if they can speak in other languages, and that is truly a gift of the Holy Spirit. When the apostles at Pentecost received the Holy Spirit, they miraculously received the ability to speak in foreign languages, a gift which lasted for the rest of their life.

However, Paul says, “Though I speak with the tongues [languages] of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1). It does not matter how many languages you could speak, if you can speak in both the languages of earth and the languages of heaven, it is valueless if you have not received the love of Jesus into your heart.

Paul goes on to say, “And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing” (verse 2).

Notice friends, the Christian religion is the most spiritual of all religions because it deals with the most inner part of one’s mind and conscience. It is not just about intellectual things but goes right to the heart of a human being. The religion of Christ says if you have all these other things, all these intellectual accomplishments, so that you can speak all the different languages, if you have the power to prophesy, and if you have faith and if you have all knowledge, but all these gifts are devoid of love in your heart, Paul says, it is not worth anything. It’s nothing.

“Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing” (verse 3). It matters not what achievements you make or what acquisitions you acquire or talents you have, even if you are filled with the Holy Spirit, if that gift of the Holy Spirit has not led you to have love in your heart, it is worthless. It profits you nothing, and you are nothing. You are like a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

The most valuable of all gifts is so valuable that Jesus said that this would be the sign that you were a Christian. It is not so much whether you have absolutely the right doctrines, or theology, or understanding. Notice what Jesus said in John 13, verses 34 and 35: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Paul then goes through a list of 16 different things showing what love is like. If I have love in my heart, I will also have these characteristics. 1 Corinthians 13:4–8, first part:

“Love is long suffering.” It exhibits patience. It is long suffering. Everybody wants somebody to be patient with them when they make a mistake.

“Love is kind.” O, friend, it’s not enough to be the right kind of a person, unless you’re kind in what you do and how you deal with others.

 

  • Love does not envy. Be content with what you have and happy for those who may have more than you.
  • Love does not boast. It doesn’t brag about its own accomplishments.
  • Love is not conceited. It is not puffed up.
  • Love does not act in an indecent or a shameful way. It has a sense of propriety.
  • Love does not seek its own. It does not try to get its own advantage over others.
  • Love does not become irritated. This may be the hardest one of all.
  • Love does not dwell on evil. Today we are surrounded by evil. If you dwell on it, you will become like it, even if you abhor it. That of course is going to affect what we look at and what we think about.
  • Love does not rejoice in injustice. It does not rejoice in unrighteousness. This is another hard one for our generation.

“Rather it rejoices with the truth.” Do you love the truth? A person who has love in their heart will rejoice with the truth. The Bible predicts that in the last days there will be many people who will have a form of godliness who will still be lost because they never learned to love the truth. (See 2 Thessalonians 2:8–10.)

 

Love bears all things.

It believes all things.

It hopes all things.

It endures all things.

It never fails.

 

O, friend, love is the gift that God wants to give to everyone who follows Him. The gift of the Holy Spirit and the first fruit of the Holy Spirit is love.

Paul goes on to say that “Where there are prophecies, they will fail; where there are languages, they will cease; where there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part will be done away” (verses 8, last part–10, literal translation).

O, friend, have you received the most perfect of all gifts that God wants to give to everyone who chooses to follow Him? Do you have all 16 characteristics of love in your heart? Unless you have love in your heart, Paul says all the other profession of religion, all the languages, all the knowledge, all the faith, everything else you might do, is worthless unless you have love.

 

(Unless appearing in quoted references or otherwise identified, Bible texts are from the New King James Version.)

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

 

Health – 100 Years ahead of her time

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It was early in the morning at Elmshaven, Ellen White’s residence in northern California. As usual, she was up before sunrise, writing and working on her manuscripts. Although she was seventy-seven years of age, her pen was still busy sending messages and writing books and articles, just as she had been shown. This year, 1905, climaxing more than forty years as a popular speaker on health and temperance subjects, Mrs. White was putting the final details into her monument on health. Called The Ministry of Healing, this 500-page book was destined to reach around the world with translations into several major languages, a medical and health book that would never really go out-of-date.

The early experiences of Ellen White and her family in the use of natural remedies were born of necessity. Many common infectious diseases were taking their toll. Persons in the prime of life succumbed to what today would be called “minor illnesses.” Vaccinations were not yet available. Antibiotics were decades in the future. Antisepsis and skilled hospital care were in their infancy. And so diphtheria, pneumonia, typhoid, tuberculosis, and many other devastating diseases ripped into families, snuffing out lives of babies and children, as well as of parents.

It was fortunate for the struggling group of pioneer Seventh-day Adventists that light was given in regard to healthful living. One of Ellen White’s earliest published health series comprised six articles, one for each of a series of pamphlets compiled from various writers and called How to Live. In light of today’s modern science, it is amazing how accurate each observation was, down to minute clinical details. In that Victorian age, antedating modern scientific discoveries, the use of toxic drugs was widespread. Physicians understood little of physiology, let alone nutrition. Their scientific training was often confined to a few weeks of formal study, plus a short apprenticeship. A popular misconception prevailed that their drugs cured disease.

From this unusually gifted woman, writing in the prime of motherhood and a happy marriage, there came as a medical bombshell the words, “Drugs never cure disease. They only change the form and location. Nature alone is the effectual restorer, and how much better could she perform her task if left to herself.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 451. Her statement challenged the entire medical profession to come up with better answers. Fortunately, some solutions were found.

In upstate New York, even before the Civil War, Dr. James C. Jackson was receiving publicity for his unusual cures in “Our Home on the Hillside.” One of the leading water-cure institutions in America, this center at Dansville, New York, developed hydrotherapy (the treatment of disease by the external use of water) to a science, and in combination with natural foods and rest, achieved amazing results. Patients from all over the East came in search of health and restoration. Shortly after the close of the Civil War, Seventh-day Adventists would have their own institution, located in Battle Creek, Michigan. Originally the “Western Health Reform Institute,” the name was changed after ten years to the “Battle Creek Sanitarium.” Under Dr. John Harvey Kellogg’s dynamic and enthusiastic leadership, it became the pacesetter of the world in hydrotherapy and natural healing.

But it is to Ellen White that this natural-healing movement is primarily indebted for insights on health with a balance seldom manifested by fledgling idealists. Drugs such as mercury, calomel, opium, and nux vomica (the source of strychnine) were commonly used for all manner of diseases. It was thought that the hand of “Providence” and “Divine Grace” permitted the sufferer to go finally to his rest. But in Ellen White’s articles the curtain was pulled aside, and the finger of guilt clearly pointed to such toxic and destructive drugs as the culprit in too many premature deaths.

Charcoal

Then there was her experience with charcoal. On one occasion powdered charcoal was put into water and given to a man sick with dysentery. Upon drinking this mixture, the patient improved within a half hour. Poultices of powdered charcoal mixed with flaxseed were successfully used on painful swellings, bruises and boils. Writing to Dr. Kellogg, Ellen White shared this advice: “One of the most beneficial remedies is pulverized charcoal, placed in a bag and used in fomentations. This is a most successful remedy. If wet with smartweed, boiled, it is still better.” [Smartweed is a summertime plant commonly found in open fields. It induces dilation of blood capillaries in the skin and makes the treatment even more effective.] Selected Messages, Book 2, 294. Also, “The most severe inflammation of the eyes will be relieved by a poultice of charcoal, put in a bag, and dipped in hot or cold water, as will best suit the case. This works like a charm.” The Place of Herbs in Rational Therapy, 144. And with a bit of humor, always understanding as to the prejudices of her audience, she added, “I will expect you will laugh at this; but if I could give this remedy some outlandish name that no one knew but myself, it would have greater influence.” Ibid.

The list of simple remedies used by Ellen White goes on and on. We cite them only to observe that these remedies, though a legacy from a former generation, are being rediscovered by medical science today. Emergency rooms a decade ago were stocked with the “universal antidote” for the treatment of poisoning. Now all contain activated charcoal.

Balanced Counsels

In her emphasis on the simple, readily available remedies Ellen White was not against the progress in scientific medicine. On one occasion she even wrote to Dr. D. H. Kress, “There is one thing that has saved life—an infusion of blood from one person to another; but this would be difficult and perhaps impossible for you to do. I merely suggest it.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 303. How interesting to find such a modern lifesaving measure suggested to a physician even before blood typing and crossmatching had been conceived!

Ellen White also took some X-ray treatments for a skin cancer and was grateful for the successful results. However, the therapeutic use of radiation was still in its infancy and she cautioned physicians to be careful about X-rays, for she had been shown their dangers.

The climax of Ellen White’s counsels on healthful living, mentioned earlier, was The Ministry of Healing published in 1905.

“The only hope of better things is in the education of the people in right principles. Let physicians teach the people that restorative power is not in drugs, but in nature. Disease is an effort of nature to free the system from conditions that result from a violation of the laws of health. In case of sickness, the cause should be ascertained. Unhealthful conditions should be changed, wrong habits corrected. Then nature is to be assisted in her effort to expel impurities and to re-establish right conditions in the system.” The Ministry of Healing, 127.

Ellen White always offered “something better,” and some of the natural remedies recommended, often summarized as “nature’s eight doctors,” are as follows:

“Pure air, sunlight, abstemiousness, rest, exercise, proper diet, the use of water, trust in divine power—these are the true remedies. Every person should have a knowledge of nature’s remedial agencies and how to apply them. It is essential both to understand the principles involved in the treatment of the sick and to have a practical training that will enable one rightly to use this knowledge.

“The use of natural remedies requires an amount of care and effort that many are not willing to give. Nature’s process of healing and upbuilding is gradual, and to the impatient it seems slow. The surrender of hurtful indulgences requires sacrifice. But in the end it will be found that nature, untrammeled, does her work wisely and well. Those who persevere in obedience to her laws will reap the reward in health of body and health of mind.” Ibid. [Emphasis supplied.]

Perspective

In the last few years scientific research has demonstrated much value in each of these remedies. Physical exercise is definitely a lifesaver, with today’s trend toward moderation. Walking is not only safer, but even more healthful than marathons, triathlons, and competitive body building. And Ellen White’s concerns about the influence of coffee on the heart have been validated. Injurious addictive properties in opiates are unquestioned. Tobacco is under attack by major health organizations, even the AMA (American Medical Association). And smoking is even recognized as a potential cause of the sudden-infant-death syndrome. In 1864 Ellen White said:

“The infant lungs suffer, and become diseased by inhaling the atmosphere of a room poisoned by the tobacco-user’s tainted breath. Many infants are poisoned beyond remedy by sleeping in beds with their tobacco-using fathers. By inhaling the poisonous tobacco effluvia, which is thrown from the lungs and the pores of the skin, the system of the infant is filled with the poison. While it acts upon some as a slow poison, it affects the brain, heart, liver, and lungs, and they waste away and fade gradually, upon others it has a more direct influence, causing spasms, fits, paralysis, palsy, and sudden death.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 467.

Yes, second-hand smoke, side-stream smoke, even the body odor of smokeless tobacco users is hazardous to your health.

Scientists and public health authorities all vote for fresh air, adequate ventilation, vaccinations (see Selected Messages, Book 2, 303), and regular bathing—measures that were little understood or appreciated in her day, but which Ellen White was promoting a century ago.

Nutritionists agree that reducing the amount of fat in the diet, cutting down on salt, and using less sugar are sensible preventive measures against heart disease and cancer. Growing numbers of vegetarians are evidence of concern regarding inadequate animal-inspection standards and burgeoning diseases. What Ellen White has written is as current as tomorrow in the area of diet.

“Again and again I have been shown that God is trying to lead us back, step by step, to His original design—that man should subsist upon the natural products of the earth.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 380.

“From the light God has given me, the prevalence of cancers and tumors is largely due to gross living on dead flesh.” Ibid., 388.

How could she consistently be on the right side of issues that were largely unknown, not only to her, but also to the medical and scientific community of her day? One of her oft-used expressions, “The Lord has shown me,” reveals the source of her remarkable insights.

For this reason her books are enthusiastically sought and read, inspiring health professionals and instructing everyone, while increasing our confidence in the spiritual gift possessed by this remarkable American woman. It is one thing to be a pioneer; it is another to be a pacesetter. In Ellen White you will find the best of both combined.

 

Recommendations to Reduce Cancer Risk
Summarized from American Cancer Society and National Academy of Science Publications Information provided more than a century ago through the writings of Ellen G. White
1. Eat plenty of high fiber foods such as whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables. 1896: “Cancers, tumors, and all inflammatory diseases are largely caused by meat eating. From the light God has given me, the prevalence of cancer and tumors is largely due to gross living on dead flesh.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 388.
2. Eat plenty of foods that are high in vitamins A and C, such as dark green and deep yellow vegetables, citrus fruits, and yellow/orange fruits. 1896: “Both the blood and the fat of animals are consumed as a luxury. But the Lord gave special directions that these should not be eaten. Why? Because their use would make a diseased current of blood in the human system. The disregard for the Lord’s special directions has brought a variety of difficulties and diseases upon human beings.” Ibid., 393, 394.
3. Eat more cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower). 1905: “Fine-flour bread is lacking in nutritive elements to be found in bread made from whole wheat.” The Ministry of Healing, 300.
4. Maintain proper body weight. 1890: “Fruits, grains, and vegetables, prepared in a simple way, free from spice and grease of all kinds, make, with milk or cream, the most healthful diet.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 314.
5. Reduce dietary fat intake to no more than 30 per cent of total calories. 1871: “Alcohol and tobacco pollute the blood of men, and thousands of lives are yearly sacrificed to these poisons.” Temperance, 57.
6. Avoid salt-cured, smoked and nitrite-cured meats. 1905: “Tobacco is a slow, insidious, but most malignant poison.” The Ministry of Healing, 327.

*Later, Mrs White wrote: “Let the people be taught how to prepare food without the use of milk or butter. Tell them that the time will soon come when there will be no safety in using eggs, milk, cream, or butter, because disease in animals is increasing in proportion to the increase of wickedness among men.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 346.
7. Don’t smoke.
8. Alcohol is not recommended, but if it is used, go easy on consumption, especially if you also smoke or chew tobacco.
9. Guard against overexposure to sunlight.

Health for Today, Hope International, 1991, Richard A. Hansen, M.D., 18–20.

 

Dr. Richard Hansen is a family medicine doctor in Creswell, Oregon. He received his medical degree from Loma Linda University School of Medicine and has been in practice for more than 20 years. He was formerly the Medical Director of Wildwood Lifestyle Center and Hospital.

Question & Answer: Why didn’t God just destroy Satan?

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God is bound by justice. If God had destroyed the one who accused Him, Lucifer’s argument against Him could have been strengthened. The angels could have been suspicious thinking Lucifer may know something that God was trying to cover up. Fairness would dictate all of God’s actions.

“Even when it was decided that he could no longer remain in heaven, Infinite Wisdom did not destroy Satan. Since the service of love can alone be acceptable to God, the allegiance of His creatures must rest upon a conviction of His justice and benevolence. The inhabitants of heaven and of other worlds, being unprepared to comprehend the nature or consequences of sin, could not then have seen the justice and mercy of God in the destruction of Satan. Had he been immediately blotted from existence, they would have served God from fear rather than from love. The influence of the deceiver would not have been fully destroyed, nor would the spirit of rebellion have been utterly eradicated. Evil must be permitted to come to maturity. For the good of the entire universe through ceaseless ages Satan must more fully develop his principles, that his charges against the divine government might be seen in their true light by all created beings, that the justice and mercy of God and the immutability of His law might forever be placed beyond all question.

“Satan’s rebellion was to be a lesson to the universe through all coming ages, a perpetual testimony to the nature and terrible results of sin. The working out of Satan’s rule, its effects upon both men and angels, would show what must be the fruit of setting aside the divine authority. It would testify that with the existence of God’s government and His law is bound up the well-being of all the creatures He has made. Thus the history of this terrible experiment of rebellion was to be a perpetual safeguard to all holy intelligences, to prevent them from being deceived as to the nature of transgression, to save them from committing sin and suffering its punishments.” The Great Controversy, 498, 499.

“In the contest between Christ and Satan, during the Saviour’s earthly ministry, the character of the great deceiver was unmasked. Nothing could so effectually have uprooted Satan from the affections of the heavenly angels and the whole loyal universe as did his cruel warfare upon the world’s Redeemer.” Ibid., 501.

Keys to the Storehouse – The Bindery

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There are plenty of actions that cause either pain or pleasure, but it seems to me that many of these are the cords that Satan uses to pull us away from our Lord. In fact, Satan binds us to his snares by these cords. The Spirit of Prophecy describes it perfectly: “The pains of duty and the pleasures of sin:”

“One wrong trait of character, one sinful desire cherished, will eventually neutralize all the power of the gospel. The prevalence of a sinful desire shows the delusion of the soul. Every indulgence of that desire strengthens the soul’s aversion to God. The pains of duty and the pleasures of sin are the cords with which Satan binds men in his snares. Those who would rather die than perform a wrong act are the only ones who will be found faithful.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 53.

Today, many wrong acts are cherished or excused! These excused actions bind us to Satan for eternal death. One must consider, Is it worth it? We are in a real spiritual warfare—this is dealing with our eternal life plan.

“The Christian life is a warfare. The apostle Paul speaks of wrestling against principalities and powers as he fought the good fight of faith. Again, he declares: ‘Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin’ (Hebrews 12:4). Ah, no. Today sin is cherished and excused. The sharp sword of the Spirit, the word of God, does not cut to the soul. Has religion changed? Has Satan’s enmity to God abated? A religious life once presented difficulties and demanded self-denial. All is made very easy now. And why is this? The professed people of God have compromised with the power of darkness.” Ibid., 222.

We are living in a very compromising world! You are okay and I am okay—do as you please as long as you do not step on me. Wow, the devil has really brainwashed many people—he truly is binding many into bundles! What must happen?

“There must be a revival of the strait testimony. The path to heaven is no smoother now than in the days of our Saviour. All our sins must be put away. Every darling indulgence that hinders our religious life must be cut off. The right eye or the right hand must be sacrificed if it cause us to offend. Are we willing to renounce our own wisdom and to receive the kingdom of heaven as a little child?” Ibid.

Are you ready to take a stand on the side of right—on the side of Jesus our Saviour? I know that I do not want to be in Satan’s bundle. I want to give up my “darling indulgences” now while there is still time to stand for my Saviour.

Remember: “The pains of duty and the pleasures of sin are the cords with which Satan binds men in his snares. Those who would rather die than perform a wrong act are the only ones who will be found faithful.” Ibid., 53.

“Choose you this day whom ye will serve … but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).

 

Father: Help us to choose now the path that leads to the heavenly country. Give us the courage to give up those darling indulgences that please the devil but are so offensive to You. I choose to stand with Jesus and not with the great deceiver and his temporary, fatal pleasures. Remove the binding which Satan has placed upon me. I choose You this day. Amen.

 

Children’s Story – Little Corners

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Georgia Willis, who helped in the kitchen, was rubbing the knives. Somebody had been careless and let one get rusty, but Georgia rubbed with all her might; rubbed, and sang softly a little song—

“In this world of darkness;

We must shine,

You in your small corner,

And I in mine.” [Jesus Bids Us Shine, Susan B. Warner, 1868.]

“Why do you rub at those knives forever?” asked Mary. Mary was the cook.

“Because they are in my corner,” Georgia said brightly.

“ ‘You in your corner,’ you know, ‘and I in mine.’ I’ll do the best I can, that is all I can do.”

“I wouldn’t waste my strength,” said Mary. “No one will notice.”

“Jesus will,” said Georgia; and then she sang again—

“You in your small corner,

And I in mine.”

“Cooking the dinner is in my corner, I suppose,” said Mary to herself. “If that child must do what she can, I suppose I must. If Jesus knows about knives, it is likely He knows about dinners.” And she took particular pains.

“Mary, the dinner was nicely cooked today,” Miss Emma said.

“That’s all because of Georgia,” said Mary, with a pleased face; and then she told about the knives.

“No,” said Emma to her friend who urged, “I really cannot go this evening. I am going to prayer meeting; my ‘corner’ is there.”

“Your ‘corner’? What do you mean?” Then Emma told about the knives.

“Well,” the friend said, “if you will not go with me, I will go with you.” And they went to the prayer meeting together.

“You helped us ever so much with the singing this evening.” That was what their pastor said as they were going home. “I was afraid you wouldn’t be there.”

“It was owing to our Georgia,” said Emma; “she seemed to think she must do what she could if it were only knives.” Then she told him the story.

“I believe I will go in here again,” said the minister, stopping before a poor little house. “I said yesterday there was no use, but I must do what I can.” In the house a sick man was lying. Again and again the minister had called, but the invalid would not listen to him; but tonight the minister said, “I have come to tell you a little story.”

Then he told him about Georgia Willis, about her knives and her little corner, and her “doing what she could.” The sick man wiped the tears from his eyes, and said, “I will find my corner, too; I will try to shine for Jesus.”

“I believe I won’t go to walk,” said Helen, hesitatingly. “I’ll finish that dress of Mother’s; I suppose I can if I try.”

“Why, child, are you here sewing?” her mother said. “I thought you had gone to walk.”

“No; this dress seemed to be in my ‘corner,’ so I thought I would finish it.”

“In your ‘corner’?” her mother repeated in surprise; and then Helen told about the knives.

The doorbell rang, and her mother went thoughtfully to receive her pastor. “I suppose I could give more,” she said to herself, as she slowly took out the money she had laid aside for missions. “If that poor child in the kitchen is trying to do what she can, I wonder if I am. I’ll double it.”

But Georgia knew nothing about all this. She had let her light shine; and others, seeing her good works, had with her glorified the Father in heaven. Jesus, looking down at her that day, said, “She hath done what she could”; and He gave the blessing.

Dolphins, True Education Series, 24–26.