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Why Is Persecution Sleeping? Part 111

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We are here in this world for one reason. Isaiah 58:12 says that we are to be repairers of the breach. However, we have stood by without raising opposition as the heart of the gospel message has been removed. We have stood by until a mess has been made; then we have tried to undo the mess. We have been too ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. One of the things that hurts me most in Adventism is when people—some who are in leadership positions and who know the gospel message and the Three Angels’ Messages—will not publicly identify the mark of the beast. They will not preach about the third angel’s message. This is hurtful, because it is the job that we have been given.

At your work, if you are told, “Today, what we need you to do is this over here,” and you go over and do the designated task, then, every day thereafter, when you are directed, “We need you to do this,” you respond, “Oh, I like to do this over here; it is much easier,” would you be accounted a worthy worker? I guarantee that you would not spend very many days in that job! You would be looking for another.

Well, the Lord is going to put you and me out to pasture too, if we do not start doing what He has asked us to do. He does not want to do that, but He has no other choice. We often choose to do our own thing, when He has called us to do another work.

Careless and Ungodly

Previously in this series, the careless and ungodly Christian was presented. (See 1 Thessalonians 5:1–5; The Great Controversy, 38, 48.) If you are careless in the activities of your life, dear friend, you have become ungodly. Remember this! This means that when you mow the lawn, when you wash the dishes—whatever you do—you should complete the task with care. “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do [it] with thy might; for [there is] no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” Ecclesiastes 9:10.

Ellen White wrote that we are to rebuke “carelessness, backsliding, and sin, that the people may be brought to repentance and confession of sin.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 380. When we see carelessness in the cause of Christ, it must be immediately rebuked.

None of us want to be careless when it comes to Jesus, do we? If Jesus were in our homes today, would we be careless in the way we treated Him and talked to Him? I do not think we would be. We would be on our very best behavior!

What a stress and strain it would be for some of us to keep our minds straight for even 30 minutes! After all, Jesus reads our minds and hearts and knows our intents. If the heart and mind are truly converted, the way they should be converted, then it would be so much easier to have Jesus around all the time, but what a bind it would put us in if our hearts and minds were not right! We would be out scurrying, doing something else, and trying to avoid closeness with Him.

Needed Revival and Reformation

“A revival and a reformation must take place under the ministration of the Holy Spirit. Revival and reformation are two different things. Revival signifies a renewal of spiritual life, a quickening of the powers of mind and heart, a resurrection from spiritual death. Reformation signifies a reorganization, a change in ideas and theories, habits and practices. Reformation will not bring forth the good fruit of righteousness unless it is connected with the revival of the Spirit.” Review and Herald, February 25, 1902.

What will it take? “True holiness is wholeness in the service of God. This is the condition of true Christian living. Christ asks for an unreserved consecration, for undivided service. He demands the heart, the mind, the soul, the strength. Self is not to be cherished.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 48, 49. Are you whole in Him today? Is He your life? Do you not dare to go anywhere or to do or to say anything, unless you talk to Jesus about it first?

Principles of Heaven

How can you have a wholeness of heart? Mrs. White says that it is obtained by simply surrendering the entire heart to Christ. “Holiness is wholeness for God; it is the entire surrender of heart and life to the indwelling of the principles of heaven.” The Desire of Ages, 556. It is very simple! Just surrender! That means, give it up. Let go of it. Turn it over to Jesus. Oh, what He can then do!

Have you thought about the principles of heaven? Can heaven’s way of operation be applied down here on earth? Is this why we are told to make our homes, our surroundings, a little heaven on earth? “If this spirit [respectful demeanor] pervaded . . . leading everyone to manifest toward his fellow-workers a love that is without dissimilation, [it] would be a representation of heaven on earth.” The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, vol. 3, 1356. This can happen, as we totally surrender our lives and our hearts to Jesus. Only then can the principles of heaven begin to be lived out through us. As people then observe us, they will want to know more about God. They will want to be a part of this last day message.

How many of us really want this? Are we going to be careless? Are we going to be ungodly? “It is this halfhearted, indifferent, careless work that separates your souls from Jesus, the source of your strength.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 148. It separates us from God, because we get into the habit of being careless in the little things, and we are then careless in the big things. If you are careless in the things that are least, you are going to be careless in those that are much, and vice versa. God says, “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much.” Luke 16:10. Carelessness separates us from God.

Those who shun responsibility and care-taking, who “neglect present opportunities, and let their duties and burdens fall upon others, will find that their responsibility remains the same, and they will reap in bitterness what they have sown in carelessness and neglect.” The Signs of the Times, September 9, 1886. “We want the living principle, and to daily feel individual responsibility. This is shunned by many, and the fruit is carelessness, indifference, a lack of watchfulness and spirituality.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 2, 200.

Rewards of Carelessness

Carelessness sounds like a big thing! Regarding it, Mrs. White wrote: “The case of the man who claims to know the truth, and yet neglects to become a doer of the words of Christ, is one to be pitied. He neglects to watch and pray, neglects to make God his counselor and dependence, becomes self-sufficient, and walks in the imagination of his own heart, as if he had wisdom, knowledge, and strength in himself. He fails to improve his talents, or works in a negligent, careless way, and thereby disqualifies himself for some place of usefulness he might have filled. But although he neglects the work God has given him to do, he is not released from the responsibility of the results of not doing all he might have done to bless humanity.” The Youth’s Instructor, December 21, 1893.

Carelessness creates bad habits, and, in the end, the careless will be shaken out of the church. “The careless and indifferent, who did not join with those who prized victory and salvation enough to perseveringly plead and agonize for it, did not obtain it, and they were left behind in darkness.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 182.

“Oh, what can I say to those who are idle and careless and indifferent in regard to the work of the Master. Jesus has bought us with His own blood. Whatever may be our ability or calling, God has committed to us our individual responsibility, and to every man He has given His work. This work cannot be transferred to another. Individual effort is to be made to seek and save the lost. As he is God’s workman, he is required to become more and more efficient, by practice better qualified to work the works of God, educated and trained in the science of spiritual husbandry.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 9, 344. It makes sense. When you find someone who bears responsibility in the workplace, at home, in the church, and in the cause of Christ, it is an indication that they are not careless.

Conformed to the World

Does this mean that heaven is not going to become our home just because we were a little careless here on earth? Absolutely! Why is the church not in a revival mode right now? Ellen White answers this question: “The only reason is that the church has conformed to the world’s standard.” The Great Controversy, 48. If we do not want to see the worldly standards come into God’s church, we must be careful in the way we talk, the way we eat, the way we dress, and the things we take into our minds.

Unfortunately, we have conformed to the world’s standards. This is why God is not in the church. We have conformed; this is why there is not a revival. This is why Mrs. White says that we are sick. We have a disease, because we have conformed. (See Testimonies, vol. 1, 693, 694.) Why is the church not being persecuted? There is no need to persecute a church that has conformed.

But, she says, “As the churches depart more and more widely from the truth, and ally themselves more closely with the world, the time will come when those who fear and honor God can no longer remain in connection with them. Those that ‘believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness,’ will be left to receive ‘strong delusion,’ and to ‘believe a lie.’ [11 Thessalonians 2:11, 12.] Then the spirit of persecution will again be revealed.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, 240.

Pastor Kenny Shelton is speaker for the television ministry of Behold the Lamb in Herrin, Illinois. He may be contacted by e-mail at: beholdthelambministries@yahoo.com, or by telephone at: 1-800-238-2856.

A Finished Work—The Challenge

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Nothing should fill our hearts with greater joy, expectation, and zeal than thinking of the work that needs to be done—not just the work that needs to be done, but the climax and the finishing of this work.

Romans 9:27, 28 says, “Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: For he will finish the work, and cut [it] short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.” It is not going to take a large number of people to finish God’s work. This passage says that although the children of Israel will only be a remnant, they will be saved, for the Lord will quickly finish the work upon the earth. This is a promise for which we should be glad, because God has said that He is going to finish the work.

How can we be a part of the finishing of God’s work? I believe that God, in His Word, has given us the battle plan for how the work will be finished in this day and age. This battle plan was given thousands of years ago, but it was not finished. There is a significant difference between the times in which we are living and the days of Israel. We must succeed where our forefathers failed in the finishing of this work.

Conquest of Canaan

Let us look at the finished work as typified in the conquest of Canaan. The Book of Numbers contains stories that are very familiar to us, but I believe they are stories that teach us what our position and duty are today. We find there the children of Israel journeying to that land of promise. We can imagine the joy and the expectation that filled their hearts as they came closer and closer to that land that had been promised to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob and to which all of their fathers had looked forward.

We pick up the story at the point when they had been traveling for about a year. Often, when we have been traveling for a period of time, our greatest desire is to return home! I have never traveled for a year, but I have been away from home for about three months at a time, and when I am able to return home, I am very, very happy. I can imagine that the children of Israel were longing for a permanent home, not continuing their journey in the wilderness and dwelling in tents.

They decided to send spies into the land. We can only imagine them waiting for the spies to return, waiting for the messages they would bring. Twenty days go by; then thirty days go by. Every day they are studying the horizon to see if the spies are returning with a message that they soon can enter this land of promise.

The Spies’ Report

Thirty-nine days passed, and then, on the fortieth day, the news began to spread throughout the camp—“The spies are here! They are going to give their report to Moses!” I am sure quite a crowd gathered rapidly, as they anticipated the report of the spies.

In Numbers 13:27, we read, “And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this [is] the fruit of it.” Oh, they reported, “The land is flowing with milk and honey,” and then they showed a cluster of grapes so large that it took two individuals to carry it. The grapes were the size of grapefruits. Those grapes must have looked quite enticing to the wilderness wanderers! As they looked and as they listened, their joy rose even higher, until the spies continued, “Nevertheless the people [be] strong that dwell in the land, and the cities [are] walled, [and] very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.” Verses 28, 29. Suddenly the hopes, the joy, and the expectations of the entire congregation deflated like a balloon. They thought, “Here is this good land, but it is so strongly guarded, so strongly fortified, we cannot take it.”

Effect of Discouraging Words

Even though Caleb urged that they go forward and possess the land, the other spies repeated how terrible it was, how strong the people were, how walled the cities were, and how large the giants were. The description became even more discouraging. (Verses 30–33.) The effect of these few discouraging words brought the death of hundreds of thousands of men and women. We never know what the effect of just a few discouraging words might be.

Have you ever noticed how, when you think about your trials or you repeat them, the giants seem to grow? This is what happened here. The giants grew. That is why we should never speak a discouraging word.

As a result of this unfaithful report brought back by the spies, the children of Israel, the Bible says, wept all night, and in the morning, they decided that the only safe recourse would be to return to Egypt. They saw only the difficulties. Were they real, legitimate difficulties? Yes, they were. There really were large giants in the land of promise. There really were strong tribes. The cities were strongly walled. Those were legitimate difficulties and challenges, but they allowed the difficulties to lead them to forget God’s power. Their response revealed the rebellion and the unbelief in their hearts, because when God told them to go up, they said, “No.” But when God commanded them to return back to the wilderness, they said, “Let us go up!” Because the difficulties and the obstacles in the way hindered them, they wandered in the wilderness for 39 additional years.

What is ironic about this is that the work got even harder while they were wandering. They went up to battle, but because God was not with them, they were unable to conquer the Canaanites. They were totally defeated before their enemies. The Canaanites, who had been afraid to attack the Israelites because of what they heard had happened in Egypt and because of what they heard had occurred at the Red Sea, decided these were just false rumors. They decided it would not be so difficult to resist the Israelites, and as the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness, and it appeared that they were going nowhere and doing nothing, the Canaanites became emboldened. Because the children of Israel were hindered and discouraged by the difficulties and the obstacles in the way, the work was made much more difficult by their delay and by their wandering in the wilderness.

Giants in the Land

As we look at the work to be done today, are there giants in the land? Yes, there are giants in the land. Before our gaze today lies an unconquered Canaan, and God has commissioned us with a work to do—a work to warn the world, to bring His Word and His message to a complete and quick fulfillment. This is God’s calling to us. It is why we are here, but as we look about us, the people appear to be strong. They are hardened in sin. The cities are walled about on every side. There is television. There are movies. People seem to have everything they need; there are strong walls about them. There are giants in the land.

There are false doctrines that intoxicate the world such as, once you are saved, you are always saved, and the rapture theory that suggests you do not need to worry about the prophecies, because you are going to be raptured away. Yes, there are giants in the land. And there are the Jebusites and the Amorites and the Canaanites; there are already strong religions inhabiting the land. But God has called us to conquer Canaan. He has called us to fight the giants in the land. He has called us to take this message to anyone and everyone who will hear, but like the ancient Israelites, when we see the challenges and the difficulties, when we see the giants in the land, we want to go the other way. The challenges are formidable. No one is going to deny that, but the power of God is stronger than the formidable challenges in the world.

Work More Difficult

We have been wandering. Over a hundred years ago, we were told that if the church had done its appointed work, Christ would have come ere this. (Review and Herald, October 6, 1896.) We have wandered, and as we have wandered, the work has become more difficult, as we have been told it would. Ellen White wrote, “The time is coming when we shall not be able to travel over the country as freely and easily, or get access to the people as readily as we do now.” The General Conference Bulletin, April 5, 1901.

Is that time here? It is here. All we have to do to realize this is to go knocking on doors. People are afraid to open their doors. I visited a man one time who had been attending a seminar I was conducting. I knocked on his door—a solid door that you could not see through. I told him my name and why I was there. When I identified myself, he opened the door and said, “I know who you are and why you are here; that is why I did not shoot you,” and he took the gun he was holding from behind his back and put it on the desk.

People are afraid; it is harder to get access to the people, but this must not keep us from doing the work that God has given us to do.

In the book Evangelism, 31, Mrs. White wrote, in 1903, that the favorable time to enter the cities has passed. But then, in 1909, she said that we must enter the cities and do all we can while we still can. The favorable time is past, but that does not mean we can recline in ease. We must enter the cities and do all that we can now. When we look at Seventh-day Adventist evangelism, we realize that that statement is very true. During the time these words were penned, all that was needed was to set up a tent. The tent alone was enough advertisement to bring hundreds of people there to hear the message, but from that time the work has gotten progressively harder. It has become more difficult, because we have wandered in the wilderness.

“We have warnings now which we may give, a work now which we may do; but soon it will be more difficult than we can imagine.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 22. I believe the time referred to in this quote is here. When we think of Joseph Bates going into a town and in two or three days raising up a church, it is definitely more difficult now than what they could have imagined. The giants have grown taller through our unbelief and rebellion in the wilderness, and the work has become harder simply because of the sheer fact of the population increase.

A World to Warn

During the apostolic era, when the gospel went to the entire world, that was indeed a miracle of God. It is estimated that there were about 300 million people in the world at that time. During the time period that these Ellen White statements were written, around 1900, there were approximately 1.65 billion people in the world. Today, the estimate as of July 1, 2005, is that there are 6.45 billion people in the world and the number increases by 70 million a year. That is 6 million a month, almost 200,000 a day. Every second the world population increases by two people!

There is a world to warn. There is a work to do. God has admonished us to not be intimidated by the giants in the land. There is another side to the issue of giants in the land. The longer we delay doing the work God has given us to do, the taller the giants will become.

We are told, on page 33 of Evangelism, that the time is soon coming when laws will be framed that will close the now open doors. The longer we delay, the harder the work will become. In Testimonies, vol. 6, 22, we are warned that the passage from place to place will, before long, be hedged about with many dangers, and Mrs. White puts that in direct correlation with the finishing of the work.

Then, the familiar quotation of warning we perhaps all have heard, from Testimonies, vol. 5, 463: “The work which the church has failed to do in a time of peace and prosperity she will have to do in a terrible crisis under most discouraging, forbidding circumstances. The warnings that worldly conformity has silenced or withheld must be given under the fiercest opposition from enemies of the faith.” God is calling us to look the giants in the eyes and to advance as rapidly and aggressively as possible to conquer them.

A Prophet’s Burden

The burden on Mrs. White’s heart in her latter years—her last will and testament to the church—was the work in the cities. She said, “Not one thousandth part of what should be done is being done by those who understand the plan of salvation.” The Watchman, January 15, 1907. The church, during her time, thought they were doing all that they could. They held meetings, and Elder Daniells, who was then the General Conference President, wrote to Ellen White, reporting that the church leaders were heeding the counsels that she had given and had allocated $11,000 to the city work. This was a very large sum of money at that time.

Later, Elder Daniells went to counsel with Ellen White about this, but she refused to see him, because she said that he was not doing the work that God had called him to do.

She wrote to him instead, saying that when the president is converted, then he will know what to do with the message that God is sending him. She further stated that he was not converted, because he was not working the cities as God’s messenger had told him to do. (See Arthur L. White, Ellen G. White: The Later Elmshaven Years 1905–1915, vol. 6, Review and Herald Publishing Association, Washington D.C., 1986, 219–227.)

That is a strong statement! What if we would receive a letter like it? As I see the work that we are doing, I am led to ask, Are we converted? Are we heeding the messages that God has given to us?

What are we doing with Mrs. White’s last will and testament to the church? Are we taking it up? Are we doing all that we can? I am glad for what is being done, but we need to do more. I am glad for what the little church I attend has been able to do, but we need to do more. There are 3.5 million people in its metropolitan area. I have talked to some of the members who said that they passed out literature but nobody seemed interested, so they guessed that was that. Praise the Lord that the literature got placed into people’s hands, but there is more that needs to be done.

An Army of Calebs

We are not to stop the work until the work is finished. We need the spirit of Caleb in our midst today, because when the spies presented that unfaithful report, Caleb said, “Let us go up and possess it, for we are well able to possess it.” There are giants in the land today. The giants have become taller through our delay and through our wandering in the wilderness, but let us go up and possess it, for we are well able with God’s power.

My favorite part of the story about Caleb comes when the Promised Land was being divided. Caleb went to Joshua and reminded him of how they had spied out the land and reported to Moses their findings. Caleb made one request: that he be given the mountain where the sons of Anak dwelled. He wanted the most difficult place—where the giants were dwelling. This was an 85-year-old man, yet he was asking to subdue the most difficult portion of the land, because he knew God was just as able to conquer it at this time as He was 40 years before.

We need an army of Calebs today, even 80-year-olds! We need Calebs to go door-to-door, to become involved in conducting citywide evangelistic campaigns. Whatever the work may be, we need Calebs to go out to conquer the giants in the land. May each one of us be a part of the army of Calebs who will finish the work.

Cody Francis is currently engaged in public evangelism for Mission Projects International. He also pastors the Remnant Church of Seventh-day Adventist Believers in Renton, Washington. He may be contacted by e-mail at: cody@missionspro.org.

Are You Serious about Being Saved? Part 1

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While reading The Great Controversy, at 19 or 20 years of age, I noticed that the people who will be in heaven would have developed perfect characters while on this earth. I knew then that I did not have a perfect character, and, today, I am not sure if I know anyone who has a perfect character.

As I continued my study, I discovered that those of us who do not have perfect characters are not going to heaven. Upon this discovery, the same thought came to mind as came to the disciples, when Jesus said to them, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Matthew 19:24. And they said, Well, Lord, who then can be saved? Is there anyone who is going to be saved? (Verse 25.)

When I discovered that people who do not have perfect characters are not going to heaven, I do not think it would be exaggerating to say that I was in a state of alarm. I had been baptized for ten years. I was looked upon as a good person. I was studying to be a minister. But I knew that my character had serious defects. If you realize, also, that your character has serious defects, then what you and I want to know is what can be done about it.

Ellen White wrote: “Let no one say, I cannot remedy my defects of character. If you come to this decision, you will certainly fail of obtaining everlasting life.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 331. So, if you come to the conclusion that you cannot overcome your defects of character, and you cannot remedy your defects of character, what will happen? You will not be in heaven. This, perhaps, is one of the main reasons why the great majority of Seventh-day Adventists will not be in heaven.

A Small Portion

“I [Ellen White] would say that we are living in a most solemn time. In the last vision given me, I was shown the startling fact that but a small portion of those who now profess the truth will be sanctified by it and be saved. Many will get above the simplicity of the work. They will conform to the world, cherish idols, and become spiritually dead. The humble, self-sacrificing followers of Jesus will pass on to perfection, leaving behind the indifferent and lovers of the world.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 608, 609. She goes on to say that, in ancient Israel, only two of those above the age of 20 years who left Egypt reached the Promised Land.

Did you notice that but a small portion of those who now profess the truth will be saved? Is this not startling? She says, “the humble, self-sacrificing followers of Jesus will pass on to perfection, leaving behind the indifferent and lovers of the world.” So there will be some people who are going to pass on to perfection. By the grace of God, it is my full intention to be one of those people. How about you?

God Will Enable

Remember that all of God’s biddings are enablings. God does not tell us to do something that we cannot do. Jesus said, “Without me you cannot do anything.” John 15:5. God does not tell us to do something that we cannot do with His help. Jesus said, “Therefore you be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:48.

Mrs. White, writing to a husband who had some very serious character defects, said: “When tempted to murmur, censure, and indulge in fretfulness, wounding those around you, and in so doing wounding your own soul, oh! let the deep, earnest, anxious inquiry come from your soul, Shall I stand without fault before the throne of God? Only the faultless will be there.” Ibid., 705. Where are the rest going to be? Well, they are not going to be there! “None will be translated to heaven while their hearts are filled with the rubbish of earth. Every defect in the moral character must first be remedied, every stain removed by the cleansing blood of Christ, and all the unlovely, unlovable traits of character overcome.” Ibid.

Do you have any unlovely or unlovable traits of character? Do you have any unchristlike traits of character? Those things must be overcome, if you are to go to heaven.

“In the state which you and your family are in at present, all heaven would be marred should you be introduced therein. The work for you must be done here. This earth is the fitting-up place. You have not one moment to lose.” Ibid., 706.

No Time to Lose

I used to wonder what Ellen White meant when she wrote to individuals the words, “You have not one moment to lose.” But, you see, our time is limited. We do not have an infinite amount of time in which to overcome the things that we need to overcome. Since we do not have an infinite amount of time to overcome these things, she wrote to many, as she did this man, You do not have any time to lose; you better get busy.

She continued, in her writing to this man, “All is harmony, peace, and love in heaven. No discord, no strife, no censuring, no unloving words, no clouded brows, no jars there; and no one will be introduced there who possesses any of these elements so destructive to peace and happiness.” Ibid. How serious are you about being saved and having eternal life? Are you serious enough to say to the Lord, “Help me to learn the lesson that you are trying to teach me today”?

God knows exactly what defects are in our characters that we must overcome every day, if we are going to heaven. The Lord knows everything about this. Surrender your heart, your life, everything to Him, and say, “Lord, help me to do Your will; help me to learn the lesson You have for me today.” Every day God is going to give you a lesson. These lessons involve trials that we do not like. At times, people wonder why they are going through certain experiences. Oh, friend, God is trying to get us ready to live with Him for eternity.

Bible Supports Also

In studying this subject, we have read several statements from the writings of Ellen White. Someone may think that I am basing this study on her writings alone. No, I am just presenting these statements because they are so clear and plain and simple enough for a child to understand—not because it is not in the Bible. This subject is found all through the Bible; however, because of lack of space, we will look primarily at the New Testament.

In Genesis 17:1, God told Abraham, “I [am] the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.”

The apostle Paul talks about this same subject when he first addresses the Corinthian church. He admonishes them to be blameless when Jesus comes: “Be blameless in the day of Christ.” (See 1 Corinthi-ans 1:4–8.) In Ephesians 5:25–27, the apostle Paul remarks about the condition of the church when Jesus returns again, and he says that the church is going to be holy. It is going to be without a spot, without a wrinkle, and without any blemish; that is, without any defect.

All the apostles spoke on this subject. The apostle Peter, when counseling the church, talked to them about being found blameless and without spot when Jesus returns. (See 11 Peter 3:14–17.)

Our First Work

The work of seeking perfection of character is so important that Ellen White wrote, “Our first work is to become perfect in His sight, by living faith claiming His promise of forgiveness.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 19, 49. [Emphasis supplied.] This is how important it is!

We have been told that every soul should aim for perfection of character. “Success in any line demands a definite aim.” Review and Herald, May 16, 1912. This is why Mrs. White says, in the book Christ’s Object Lessons, 331, that if you have come to the conclusion that you cannot overcome your defects of character, that they cannot be remedied, “You will certainly fail of everlasting life.” You will not overcome your defects of character if you are not aiming to do so. This is why it is so important to take aim, and say, “Lord, help me.” If you start taking aim and praying about this, you will be astonished at what the Lord will reveal to you. He will start revealing to you what your defects are and what you need to do differently.

Ellen White wrote that if we do not develop a perfect character, we will not endure the presence of the Lord. “How earnestly should we strive to perfect a character that will enable us to stand before the Son of God! Only those who are clothed in the garments of his righteousness will be able to endure the glory of his presence when he shall appear with ‘power and great glory.’ [Matthew 24:30.]” Review and Herald, July 9, 1908.

Perfect in Character

In fact, when Jesus comes, the wicked are going to be destroyed by the brightness of His coming. She says that they are going to fall just like the Roman guards fell. “Opportunity is now given you to improve and become perfect this side of the Judgment. You must obtain a moral fitness here to meet your God. You should be right, just right, if you wish to obtain an entrance in through the gates of the holy city of God. Should your probation close today and you be brought just as you are this moment to the gate of the city, and it should open before you, and the rays of light that emanate from the throne of God should beam forth upon you, could you endure it? Could you bear it, in your sins and in your iniquity and imperfection? Could you enjoy that sacred and divine light? Not for a moment. You would drop as powerless as the Roman guard, who watched around the sepulcher of Jesus Christ, when the angels there descended to resurrect the Son of God. As that light fell upon the Roman guard, they became as dead men. They fell to the earth. They could not endure the light from Heaven, which was reflected from one mighty angel.” Ibid., April 12, 1870. We cannot endure to be in the presence of God if we are not perfect in character. Only those who are perfect in character can see God.

No one without perfection of character will enter the pearly gates. “No unlikeness to Christ will be permitted in the holy city.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 15, 171. Why? because one person taken to heaven with even a single defect of character would spoil heaven. “God will accept nothing but purity and holiness; one spot, one wrinkle, one defect in the character, will forever debar them from heaven, with all its glories and treasures.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 453.

Eventually, the same rebellion we have here on this world would pop up again, if a defect were allowed to enter heaven. The Bible says that affliction is not going to rise up the second time. (Nahum 1:9.) How glad we should be for that! Why is it not going to rise up the second time? Because God is not going to take anyone up there who has an unchristlike character. It would spoil heaven.

What Is It?

So, what is it? You can see how important it is. We cannot be saved unless we have a perfect character. If we come to the conclusion that we cannot remedy the defects in our character, it is for certain that we will lose eternal life. What is perfection of character?

If we were to state in the fewest possible words what perfection of character is, it is to be like Jesus Christ. This is one of the reasons we all need to be studying the life of Christ, so we understand what He is like and how we can imitate Him.

Aspects of a Perfect Character

We, because of our feeble minds, need some descriptions to help us understand the distinguishing traits of a person who has a perfect character. A search through the writings of Ellen White reveals a number of characteristics.

Number 1: The person with a perfect character is always patient. They never, ever lose patience. Jesus was never impatient, not even once. He did not even lose patience with Caiaphas or Herod or Pilate. He did not lose patience with the Roman soldiers who abused Him and tortured Him. He never lost patience.

Number 2: A person with a perfect character is pure in his heart. Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Matthew 5:8. Purity is a huge subject. The people of the world think that pure or impure only refers to whether or not somebody commits adultery with their body. But the purity Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount has to do with what is going on in your mind, not just what is going on with your body. What is going on in your mind?

Ellen White wrote to a young lady who had fallen in love with a man. But this man already had a wife. “I have been considering your case in connection with L, and I have no other counsel to give than I have given. I consider that you have no moral right to marry L; he has no moral right to marry you. He left his wife after giving her great provocation. He left her whom he had vowed before God to love and cherish while both should live. Before ever she obtained her divorce, when she was his lawful wife, he left her for three years, and then left her in heart, and expressed his love to you. The matter has been negotiated largely between you and a married man while he was legally bound to the wife he married, who has had two children by him. . . .

“I am astonished that you should for a moment give thought to such a thing, and place your affections on a married man who had left his wife and children under such circumstances. . . . You have both broken the law even in thinking that you might unite in marriage. You should have repelled the thought at its first suggestion.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 340, 341. Mrs. White was telling this young lady that by marrying this man she would be committing adultery, but she had already broken God’s Law in her thinking. Now, that is not complicated. (See Romans 7.)

We need to study the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy and make the decision that we are going to be pure no matter what the cost. There might be a cost for some people in being pure, but if we are really serious about being saved, we are going to ask the Lord to help us, by His grace, to become pure and remain pure, no matter what the cost.

Number 3: A person who is perfect in character always possesses self-control; they always have a calm spirit. Jesus did. Read the story of His life. The Desire of Ages describes His trial, and all the commotion surrounding it, yet He maintained a spirit of calmness and self-control, because He had a perfect character.

Number 4: A person who has a perfect character never manifests any kind of self-exaltation. They do not engage in accusations of other people; they are never harsh. Now, do not misunderstand. A person with a perfect character does acknowledge when there is something wrong. They do not deny it and hide it.

Number 5: A person with a perfect character is a person who is kind, who is refined, and who is tender-hearted.

Number 6: A person who has a perfect character has the meekness of Christ. The word meek means two things. If you study the etymology of that word, you will find that it means “to be humble” and “to be gentle.” Jesus said, “Come to Me. I am humble and gentle. You will find rest.” (See Matthew 11:28–30.)

Number 7: A person who has a perfect character is not half-hearted. If you want to make a study of this, you will find that this was Ephraim’s sin, and if you study Revelation 7, you will see that the tribe of Ephraim will not be among the 144,000. If this poses a problem for you, then you need to pray about it. You cannot go to heaven if you are half-hearted, even if everyone thinks that you are a good Christian.

Number 8: A person who has a perfect character will manifest constant obedience to Jesus Christ. They will always obey.

Number 9: This is a hard one. We already know that Jesus was humble and gentle, but Ellen White, speaking of Jesus’ perfection of character, says, “He never spoke a discourteous word.” Review and Herald, March 18, 1902. We must overcome this temptation, because no one in heaven is ever discourteous.

Number 10: A person who has a perfect character will have gentleness, forbearance, and longsuffering. His character will be manifest in his countenance.

All of those characteristics sound wonderful. The problem is, we do not have them all. We need to pray that the Lord will help us, by His grace and by His power, to remedy the defects in our characters. Remember, God never tells us to do something that we cannot do with His help. God stands behind every promise He has made. He is going to have a perfect people.

To be continued . . .

[Bible texts quoted are literal translation.]

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

Editorial – Types and Shadows, Part VII

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“Christ is every possible strength to all who will appropriate his words by faith. He is indeed the Bread of life. No man, woman, youth, or child can say, I have cravings that he can not satisfy. All cravings that he does not fill are supplied with a superior sufficiency, which is for the perfection of Christian character.

“We all need to understand that the craving for supremacy is placing men where they will never gain the supremacy in the future life, even if they gain it in this. The ordinance of feet-washing was a revealer of character, and always will be. The Holy Spirit is present on such occasions to convict of sin, and the heart is touched and made contrite. The penitential confession clears the moral atmosphere of the soul, and awakens holy principles. The subduing grace of Christ comes into the heart, and the love of Christ draws hearts together in a blessed unity. Sins are seen in the light in which God views them. They are confessed, they are forgiven.

“The administration of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is for the purpose of making a forcible illustration of the infinite sacrifice made for a sinful world, and for us individually, as a part of that great whole of fallen humanity, before whose eyes Christ has evidently been set forth crucified among them.” Review and Herald, June 28, 1898.

“Christ was performing an act of service for his disciples. He took a towel, and girded himself. He had many things to say to them, but how would they bear it? He saw that commotions of a forbidding order were taking hold upon them. Contention had come in among them. For one of their number to wash the feet of the rest was, they thought, an act to be looked down upon,—an act that servants were supposed to do always,—and there was no one that made a move, yet, the while, all were trying to appear unconscious. O, how wretchedly miserable they felt! They seemed to think only of themselves. What terrible selfishness, and choosing to have their own way!

“The Saviour let the matter linger a little while, to see if their hearts would change. And then he, the one they loved, rose, and laid aside his garments, and, taking a towel, girded himself, pouring water into the basin. It was then that the disciples were astonished and ashamed. Christ could not have put upon them a greater rebuke. In his heart he pitied his disciples. He knew that after his death, all this scene would scourge them, and be sufficient punishment. His soul was already pressed under a severe load, that none of them could enter into. But his love did not change at all. He knew that the hour was just before him when he should depart out of this world, and go unto the Father; yet, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. His love was enduring, it was divine. Their childish jealousies and passions were hurting their own souls.” Ibid., July 5, 1898.

Bible Study Guides – The People, Part 11

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December 25, 2005 – December 31, 2005

Key Text

“To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” Hebrews 4:7. “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.” 1 Thessalonans 5:4.

Study Help: Testimonies, vol. 5, 212–216.

1 What are the true people of God referred to in comparison to the population of the world? Revelation 12:17. Compare Acts 1:12–15.

note: “In comparison with the millions of the world, God’s people will be, as they have ever been, a little flock; but if they stand for the truth as revealed in His word, God will be their refuge. They stand under the broad shield of Omnipotence. God is always a majority. When the sound of the last trump shall penetrate the prison house of the dead, and the righteous shall come forth with triumph, exclaiming, ‘O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?’ (1 Corinthians 15:55)—standing then with God, with Christ, with the angels, and with the loyal and true of all ages, the children of God will be far in the majority.” The Acts of the Apostles, 590.

2 Why will only a small proportion of the people who profess to be depositaries of God’s law ultimately be saved? Zephaniah 3:7, 13. Compare Isaiah 10:20–22.

note: “In Jeremiah’s time, the Jews believed that the strict observance of the divinely appointed services of the temple would preserve them from the just punishment of their evil course.

“The same danger exists today among the people who profess to be the depositaries of God’s law. They are too apt to flatter themselves that the regard in which they hold the commandments will preserve them from the power of divine justice. They refuse to be reproved for evil, and charge God’s servants with being too zealous in putting sin out of the camp. A sin-hating God calls upon those who profess to keep His law to depart from all iniquity. Neglect to repent and obey His word will bring as serious consequences upon God’s people today as did the same sin upon ancient Israel. There is a limit beyond which He will no longer delay His judgments.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 166, 167.

3 What experience do the true people of God pass through that prepares them to stand on the sea of glass before the great white throne? Malachi 3:2–4; Revelation 3:8–11.

note: “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. While the investigative judgment is going forward in heaven, while the sins of penitent believers are being removed from the sanctuary, there is to be a special work of purification, of putting away of sin, among God’s people upon earth.” The Great Controversy, 425.

4 How does Zechariah represent the condition of God’s people at this time, and how does the Lord intervene to help them? Zechariah 3:1–3.

note: “As the people of God afflict their souls before Him, pleading for purity of heart, the command is given, ‘Take away the filthy garments’ from them, and the encouraging words are spoken, ‘Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.’ [Zechariah 3:4.] The spotless robe of Christ’s righteousness is placed upon the tried, tempted, yet faithful children of God. The despised remnant are clothed in glorious apparel, nevermore to be defiled by the corruptions of the world. . . . And the remnant are not only pardoned and accepted, but honored. ‘A fair miter’ [verse 5] is set upon their heads. They are to be as kings and priests unto God.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 475.

5 In the vision, what is Satan doing? Zechariah 3:1.

note: “Satan will work his miracles to deceive; he will set up his power as supreme. The church may appear as about to fall, but it does not fall. It remains, while the sinners in Zion will be sifted out—the chaff separated from the precious wheat. This is a terrible ordeal, but nevertheless it must take place. None but those who have been overcoming by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony will be found with the loyal and true, without spot or stain of sin, without guile in their mouths.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 380.

6 On what condition are the people of God permitted to keep the robe of Christ’s righteousness? Zechariah 3:7.

note: “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.

“I also saw that many do not realize what they must be in order to live in the sight of the Lord without a high priest in the sanctuary through the time of trouble. Those who receive the seal of the living God and are protected in the time of trouble must reflect the image of Jesus fully.

“I saw that many were neglecting the preparation so needful and were looking to the time of ‘refreshing’ and the ‘latter rain’ to fit them to stand in the day of the Lord and to live in His sight. Oh, how many I saw in the time of trouble without a shelter! They had neglected the needful preparation; therefore they could not receive the refreshing that all must have to fit them to live in the sight of a holy God.” Early Writings, 71.

“While Satan was urging his accusations and seeking to destroy this company, holy angels, unseen, were passing to and fro, placing upon them the seal of the living God. These are they that stand upon Mount Zion with the Lamb, having the Father’s name written in their foreheads. They sing the new song before the throne, that song which no man can learn save the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. ‘These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.’ [Revelation 14:4.]” Lift Him Up, 377.

7 How are the 144,000 described in relationship to all of those who are redeemed? Revelation 14:4.

note: “ ‘These are they which follow the Lamb withersoever He goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb.’ Revelation 14:4. The vision of the prophet pictures them as standing on Mount Zion, girt for holy service, clothed in white linen, which is the righteousness of the saints. But all who follow the Lamb in heaven must first have followed Him on earth, not fretfully or capriciously, but in trustful, loving, willing obedience, as the flock follows the shepherd.” The Acts of the Apostles, 591.

8 How many who had gotten the victory over sin did John see in vision standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb? Revelation 7:9, 10.

note: “Nearest the throne are those who were once zealous in the cause of Satan, but who, plucked as brands from the burning, have followed their Saviour with deep, intense devotion. Next are those who perfected Christian characters in the midst of falsehood and infidelity, those who honored the law of God when the Christian world declared it void, and the millions, of all ages, who were martyred for their faith. And beyond is the ‘great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, . . . before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands.’ Revelation 7:9. Their warfare is ended, their victory won. They have run the race and reached the prize. The palm branch in their hands is a symbol of their triumph, the white robe an emblem of the spotless righteousness of Christ which now is theirs.” The Great Controversy, 665.

9 What one requirement did all of the redeemed fulfill? Revelation 7:14.

note: “In the parable of Matthew 22 the same figure of the marriage is introduced, and the investigative judgment is clearly represented as taking place before the marriage. Previous to the wedding the king comes in to see the guests, to see if all are attired in the wedding garment, the spotless robe of character washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb. Matthew 22:11; Revelation 7:14. He who is found wanting is cast out, but all who upon examination are seen to have the wedding garment on are accepted of God and accounted worthy of a share in His kingdom and a seat upon His throne. This work of examination of character, of determining who are prepared for the kingdom of God, is that of the investigative judgment, the closing of work in the sanctuary above.” The Great Controversy, 428.

10 Identify the similarities between Revelation 7:15–17 and 22:1–5. See if you can find seven similarities.

note: “In the City of God ‘there shall be no night.’ None will need or desire repose. There will be no weariness in doing the will of God and offering praise to His name. We shall ever feel the freshness of the morning and shall ever be far from its close. ‘And they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light.’ Revelation 22:5. The light of the sun will be superseded by a radiance which is not painfully dazzling, yet which immeasurably surpasses the brightness of our noontide. The glory of God and the Lamb floods the Holy City with unfading light. The redeemed walk in the sunless glory of perpetual day.” The Great Controversy, 676.

Bible Study Guides – The People, Part 1

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December 18, 2005 – December 24, 2005

Key Text

“And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 12:17.

Study Help: Testimonies, vol. 5, 207–211.

Introduction

“But that which causes me to tremble is the fact that those who have had the greatest light and privileges have become contaminated by the prevailing iniquity. Influenced by the unrighteous around them, many, even of those who profess the truth, have grown cold and are borne down by the strong current of evil. The universal scorn thrown upon true piety and holiness leads those who do not connect closely with God to lose their reverence for His law. If they were following the light and obeying the truth from the heart, this holy law would seem even more precious to them when thus despised and set aside. As the disrespect for God’s law becomes more manifest, the line of demarcation between its observers and the world becomes more distinct. Love for the divine precepts increases with one class according as contempt for them increases with another class.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 209.

1 Against whom has the wrath of Satan been mainly manifested throughout the ages? Revelation 12:13–16.

note: “The great controversy between good and evil will increase in intensity to the very close of time. In all ages the wrath of Satan has been manifested against the church of Christ; and God has bestowed His grace and Spirit upon His people to strengthen them to stand against the power of the evil one. When the apostles of Christ were to bear His gospel to the world and to record it for all future ages, they were especially endowed with the enlightenment of the Spirit. But as the church approaches her final deliverance, Satan is to work with greater power. He comes down ‘having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.’ Revelation 12:12. He will work ‘with all power and signs and lying wonders.’ 11 Thessalonians 2:9. For six thousand years that mastermind that once was highest among the angels of God has been wholly bent to the work of deception and ruin. And all the depths of satanic skill and subtlety acquired, all the cruelty developed, during these struggles of the ages, will be brought to bear against God’s people in the final conflict.” The Great Controversy, ix, x.

2 What warnings are the people of God to give in this time of peril, and what are they to do for themselves before this time begins? Revelation 19:11–16; 18:4; 11 Peter 3:14.

note: “In this time of peril the followers of Christ are to bear to the world the warning of the Lord’s second advent; and a people are to be prepared to stand before Him at His coming, ‘without spot, and blameless.’ 11 Peter 3:14. At this time the special endowment of divine grace and power is not less needful to the church than in apostolic days.” The Great Controversy, x.

3 What phase of God’s church will come under special attack from the dragon? Revelation 12:17.

note: “Zechariah’s vision of Joshua and the Angel applies with peculiar force to the experience of God’s people in the closing up of the great day of atonement. The remnant church will be brought into great trial and distress. Those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus will feel the ire of the dragon and his hosts.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 472.

4 What will be the final destiny of God’s last church? Revelation 15:2, 3.

note: “ ‘O Tower of the flock, the stronghold of the daughter of Zion, unto Thee shall it come, even the first dominion.’ Micah 4:8. The time has come to which holy men have looked with longing since the flaming sword barred the first pair from Eden, the time for ‘the redemption of the purchased possession.’ Ephesians 1:14. The earth originally given to man as his kingdom, betrayed by him into the hands of Satan, and so long held by the mighty foe, has been brought back by the great plan of redemption. . . . God’s original purpose in the creation of the earth is fulfilled as it is made the eternal abode of the redeemed. ‘The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein forever.’ Psalm 37:29.” The Great Controversy, 674.

5 Before Christ’s true disciples will stand on the sea of glass, through what experience will they have to pass? Matthew 24:9; Luke 21:12. Compare 1 Peter 4:13.

note: “Christ’s true disciples follow Him through sore conflicts, enduring self-denial and experiencing bitter disappointment; but this teaches them the guilt and woe of sin, and they are led to look upon it with abhorrence. Partakers of Christ’s sufferings, they are destined to be partakers of His glory. In holy vision the prophet saw the ultimate triumph of God’s remnant church.” The Acts of the Apostles, 590.

6 What victory will God’s remnant church have to win before they can stand on the sea of glass? Revelation 15:2.

note: “Upon the crystal sea before the throne, that sea of glass as it were mingled with fire,—so resplendent is it with the glory of God,—are gathered the company that have ‘gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name.’ [Revelation 15:2.]” The Great Controversy, 648.

7 What song will they sing before God on the sea of glass? Revelation 15:3, 4.

note: “With the Lamb upon Mount Zion, ‘having the harps of God,’ they stand, the hundred and forty and four thousand that were redeemed from among men; and there is heard, as the sound of many waters, and as the sound of a great thunder, ‘the voice of harpers harping with their harps.’ And they sing ‘a new song’ before the throne, a song which no man can learn save the hundred and forty and four thousand. [Revelation 15:2; 14:2, 3.] It is the song of Moses and the Lamb—a song of deliverance.” The Great Controversy, 648, 649.

8 What two characteristics identify God’s remnant people? Revelation 14:12.

note: “In order to be prepared for the judgment, it is necessary that men should keep the law of God. That law will be the standard of character in the judgment. . . . Faith is essential in order to the keeping of the law of God; for ‘without faith it is impossible to please Him.’ And ‘whatsoever is not of faith is sin.’ Hebrews 11:6; Romans 14:23.” The Great Controversy, 436.

9 What is required to be saved? Luke 3:8.

note: “How few bear in mind that the tempter was once a covering cherub, a being whom God created for His own name’s glory. Satan fell from his high position through self-exaltation; he misused the high capabilities with which God had so richly endowed him. He fell for the same reason that thousands are falling today, because of an ambition to be first, an unwillingness to be under restraint. The Lord would teach man the lesson that, though united in church capacity, he is not saved until the seal of God is placed upon him, and he is made complete in Christ.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 11, 367.

10 From among what group will “the little company” who are standing in the light arise? Ezekiel 9:3, 4.

note: “The leaven of godliness has not entirely lost its power. At the time when the danger and depression of the church are greatest, the little company who are standing in the light will be sighing and crying for the abominations that are done in the land. But more especially will their prayers arise in behalf of the church because its members are doing after the manner of the world.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 209, 210.

“Mark this point with care: Those who receive the pure mark of truth, wrought in them by the power of the Holy Ghost, represented by a mark by the man in linen, are those ‘that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done’ in the church.” Ibid., vol. 3, 267.

“The class who do not feel grieved over their own spiritual declension, nor mourn over the sins of others, will be left without the seal of God. The Lord commissions His messengers, the men with slaughtering weapons in their hands: ‘Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.’ [Ezekiel 9:5, 6.]” Ibid., vol. 5, 211.

11 In the midst of the prevailing apostasy, what character preparation do the true people engage in? Revelation 7:13, 14; 22:14.

note: “Satan will work his miracles to deceive; he will set up his power as supreme. The church may appear as about to fall, but it does not fall. It remains, while the sinners in Zion will be sifted out—the chaff separated from the precious wheat. This is a terrible ordeal, but nevertheless it must take place. None but those who have been overcoming by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony will be found with the loyal and true, without spot or stain of sin, without guile in their mouths. . . .

“The remnant that purify their souls by obeying the truth gather strength from the trying process, exhibiting the beauty of holiness amid the surrounding apostasy.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 380.

12 Why will not all professed Sabbath keepers be sealed and ready for the latter rain? Hebrews 6:4–6. Compare John 6:60–66.

note: “Not all who profess to keep the Sabbath will be sealed. There are many even among those who teach the truth to others who will not receive the seal of God in their foreheads. They had the light of truth, they knew their Master’s will, they understood every point of our faith, but they had not corresponding works. These who were so familiar with prophecy and the treasures of divine wisdom should have acted their faith. . . .

“Not one of us will ever receive the seal of God while our characters have one spot or stain upon them. It is left with us to remedy the defects in our characters, to cleanse the soul temple of every defilement. Then the latter rain will fall upon us as the early rain fell upon the disciples on the Day of Pentecost.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 213, 214.

Bible Study Guides – The Pretense

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December 11, 2005 – December 17, 2005

Key Text

“And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” 11 Corinthians 11:14.

Study Help: The Great Controversy, 518–523.

Introduction

“He [Satan] hopes to deceive the honest and lead them to think that God is still working for the churches. But the light will shine, and all who are honest will leave the fallen churches, and take their stand with the remnant.” Early Writings, 261.

1 What represented the foundation of Satan’s effort to deceive the world? Genesis 3:4, 5.

note: “Satan has long been preparing for his final effort to deceive the world. The foundation of his work was laid by the assurance given to Eve in Eden: ‘Ye shall not surely die.’ ‘In the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.’ Genesis 3:4, 5. Little by little he has prepared the way for his masterpiece of deception in the development of spiritualism. He has not yet reached the full accomplishment of his designs; but it will be reached in the last remnant of time.” The Great Controversy, 561.

2 What plain teaching of Scripture is contradicted in the theory underlying spiritualism? Ecclesiastes 9:5.

note: “None need be deceived by the lying claims of spiritualism. God has given the world sufficient light to enable them to discover the snare. . . . The theory which forms the very foundation of spiritualism is at war with the plainest statements of Scripture. The Bible declares that the dead know not anything, that their thoughts have perished; they have no part in anything that is done under the sun; they know nothing of the joys or sorrows of those who were dearest to them on earth.” The Great Controversy, 556.

3 Wherein lies the power of Satan to deceive? 11 Thessalonians 2:9–12.

note: “There are but two parties. Satan works with his crooked, deceiving power, and through strong delusions he catches all who do not abide in the truth, who have turned away their ears from the truth and have turned unto fables. Satan himself abode not in the truth; he is the mystery of iniquity. Through his subtlety he gives to his soul-destroying errors the appearance of truth. Herein is their power to deceive. It is because they are a counterfeit of the truth that spiritualism, theosophy, and the like deceptions gain such power over the minds of men. Herein is the masterly working of Satan. He pretends to be the savior of man, the benefactor of the human race, and thus he more readily lures his victims to destruction.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 365.

4 How does Peter describe Satan and the way he works? 1 Peter 5:8.

note: “I have been shown that Satan has not been stupid and careless these many years, since his fall, but has been learning. He has grown more artful. His plans are laid deeper, and are more covered with a religious garment to hide their deformity. The power of Satan now to tempt and deceive is ten-fold greater than it was in the days of the apostles. His power has increased, and it will increase, until it is taken away. His wrath and hate grow stronger as his time to work draws near its close.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 2, 277.

5 When does Satan introduce his counterfeit movement with respect to the latter rain? 11 Timothy 3:1–5.

note: “Before the final visitation of God’s judgments upon the earth there will be among the people of the Lord such a revival of primitive godliness as has not been witnessed since apostolic times. The Spirit and power of God will be poured out upon His children. . . . The enemy of souls desires to hinder this work; and before the time for such a movement shall come, he will endeavor to prevent it by introducing a counterfeit. In those churches which he can bring under his deceptive power he will make it appear that God’s special blessing is poured out; there will be manifest what is thought to be great religious interest. Multitudes will exult that God is working marvelously for them, when the work is that of another spirit.” The Great Controversy, 464.

6 Whom, in particular, will Satan target? Matthew 24:24.

note: “The days are fast approaching when there will be great perplexity and confusion. Satan, clothed in angel robes, will deceive, if possible, the very elect. There will be gods many and lords many. Every wind of doctrine will be blowing. Those who have rendered supreme homage to ‘science falsely so called’ will not be the leaders then. Those who have trusted to intellect, genius, or talent will not then stand at the head of rank and file. They did not keep pace with the light. Those who have proved themselves unfaithful will not then be entrusted with the flock. In the last solemn work few great men will be engaged. They are self-sufficient, independent of God, and He cannot use them.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 80.

7 What will be Satan’s biggest, grandest effort to ensnare the world and the elect? Matthew 24:23–26.

note: “As the crowning act in the great drama of deception, Satan himself will personate Christ. The church has long professed to look to the Saviour’s advent as the consummation of her hopes. Now the great deceiver will make it appear that Christ has come. In different parts of the earth, Satan will manifest himself among men as a majestic being of dazzling brightness, resembling the description of the Son of God given by John in the Revelation. Revelation 1:13–15. The glory that surrounds him is unsurpassed by anything that mortal eyes have yet beheld. The shout of triumph rings out upon the air: ‘Christ has come! Christ has come!’ The people prostrate themselves in adoration before him, while he lifts up his hands and pronounces a blessing upon them, as Christ blessed His disciples when He was upon the earth.” The Great Controversy, 624.

8 Who else will appear in human form? 11 Corinthians 11:13–15. Compare Revelation 12:7–9.

note: “Satan will use every opportunity to seduce men from their allegiance to God. He and the angels who fell with him will appear on the earth as men, seeking to deceive. God’s angels also will appear as men, and will use every means in their power to defeat the purposes of the enemy.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 8, 399.

“Evil angels in the form of men will talk with those who know the truth. They will misinterpret and misconstrue the statements of the messengers of God. . . . Have Seventh-day Adventists forgotten the warning given in the sixth chapter of Ephesians? We are engaged in a warfare against the hosts of darkness. Unless we follow our Leader closely, Satan will obtain the victory over us.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 411.

9 What will open the way for people to accept Satan’s counterfeit miracles? 11 Thessalonians 2:9–12.

note: “Rapidly are men ranging themselves under the banner they have chosen, restlessly waiting and watching the movements of their leaders. There are those who are watching and waiting and working for our Lord’s appearing; while the other party are rapidly falling into line under the generalship of the first great apostate. They look for a god in humanity, and Satan personifies the one they seek. Multitudes will be so deluded through their rejection of truth that they will accept the counterfeit.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 364, 365.

10 Why will men be deceived? John 3:18–20.

note: “Those who choose Satan as their ruler will reveal the spirit of their chosen master, who caused the fall of our first parents. By rejecting the divine Son of God, the personification of the only true God, who possessed goodness, mercy, and untiring love, whose heart was ever touched with human woe, and accepting a murderer in His place, the people showed what human nature can and will do, when the restraining Spirit of God is removed, and men are under the great apostate. Just to that degree that light is refused and rejected will there be misconception and misunderstanding. Those who reject Christ and choose Barabbas will work under a ruinous deception. Misrepresentation, the bearing of false witness, will grow under open rebellion.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 416.

11 What essential quality of truth will be lacking in the counterfeit? Luke 9:23; Matthew 16:24.

note: “Satan can present a counterfeit so closely resembling the truth that it deceives those who are willing to be deceived, who desire to shun the self-denial and sacrifice demanded by the truth; but it is impossible for him to hold under his power one soul who honestly desires, at whatever cost, to know the truth. Christ is the truth and the ‘Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.’ John 1:9. The Spirit of truth has been sent to guide men into all truth. And upon the authority of the Son of God it is declared: ‘Seek, and ye shall find.’ ‘If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine.’ Matthew 7:7; John 7:17.” The Great Controversy, 528.

12 By what means will true believers be able to unmask Satan’s deceptions? Isaiah 8:20.

note: “The people of God are directed to the Scriptures as their safeguard against the influence of false teachers and the delusive power of spirits of darkness. Satan employs every possible device to prevent men from obtaining a knowledge of the Bible; for its plain utterances reveal his deceptions. . . . So closely will the counterfeit resemble the true that it will be impossible to distinguish between them except by the Holy Scriptures. By their testimony every statement and every miracle must be tested.” The Great Controversy, 593.

13 How will those who receive the latter rain be preserved from the delusion that overtakes the world? Revelation 12:17; 19:10.

note: “This world is our school—a school of discipline and training. We are placed here to form characters like the character of Christ, and to acquire the habits and the language of the higher life. Influences opposed to good, abound on every side. The developments of sin are becoming so full, so deep, so abhorrent to God, that soon He will arise in majesty to shake terribly the earth. So artful are the plans of the enemy, so specious the complications that he brings about, that those who are weak in the faith cannot discern his deceptions. They fall into the snares prepared by Satan, who works through human instrumentalities to deceive if possible the very elect. Only those who are closely connected with God will be able to discern the falsehoods, the intrigues, of the enemy.” This Day With God, 96.

Bible Study Guides – The Proclamation, Part 11

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December 4, 2005 – December 10, 2005

Key Text

“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.” Revelation 18:4.

Study Help: The Great Controversy, 608–612.

Introduction

In this lesson, we will finish the study of the proclamation of the loud cry of the third angel as described in Revelation 18:4.

1 What additional warning is given as the third angel’s message swells to a loud cry? Revelation 18:4.

note: “Angels were sent to aid the mighty angel from heaven, and I heard voices which seemed to sound everywhere, ‘Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.’ [Revelation 18:4, 5.] This message seemed to be an addition to the third message, joining it as the midnight cry joined the second angel’s message in 1844. The glory of God rested upon the patient, waiting saints, and they fearlessly gave the last solemn warning, proclaiming the fall of Babylon and calling upon God’s people to come out of her that they might escape her fearful doom.” Early Writings, 277, 278.

2 What event will accelerate the swelling of the third angel’s message? Revelation 13:14–17.

note: “Heretofore those who presented the truths of the third angel’s message have often been regarded as mere alarmists. Their predictions that religious intolerance would gain control in the United States, that church and state would unite to persecute those who keep the commandments of God, have been pronounced groundless and absurd. It has been confidently declared that this land could never become other than what it has been—the defender of religious freedom. But as the question of enforcing Sunday observance is widely agitated, the event so long doubted and disbelieved is seen to be approaching, and the third message will produce an effect which it could not have had before.” The Great Controversy, 605, 606.

3 What is the message that goes worldwide under the latter rain? Exodus 20:3–17; Hebrews 9:11, 12, 23, 24, 26–28.

note: “The law of God is to be magnified; its claims must be presented in their true, sacred character, that the people may be brought to decide for or against the truth. Yet the work will be cut short in righteousness. The message of Christ’s righteousness is to sound from one end of the earth to the other to prepare the way of the Lord. This is the glory of God, which closes the work of the third angel.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 19.

4 What is the last message that will be given to the world? Revelation 18:4.

note: “Revelation 18 points to the time when, as the result of rejecting the threefold warning of Revelation 14:6–12, the church will have fully reached the condition foretold by the second angel, and the people of God still in Babylon will be called upon to separate from her communion. This message is the last that will ever be given to the world; and it will accomplish its work. When those that ‘believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness’ (11 Thessalonians 2:12), shall be left to receive strong delusion and to believe a lie, then the light of truth will shine upon all whose hearts are open to receive it, and all the children of the Lord that remain in Babylon will heed the call: ‘Come out of her, My people’ (Revelation 18:4).” The Great Controversy, 390.

5 What great work is God going to do for those responding to the call to come out of Babylon? Acts 3:19, 20.

note: “The great work of the gospel is not to close with less manifestation of the power of God than marked its opening. The prophecies which were fulfilled in the outpouring of the former rain at the opening of the gospel are again to be fulfilled in the latter rain at its close. Here are ‘the times of refreshing’ to which the apostle Peter looked forward when he said: ‘Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and He shall send Jesus.’ Acts 3:19, 20.” The Great Controversy, 611, 612.

6 What is the “refreshing from the presence of the Lord”? Hosea 6:3; Joel 2:23.

note: “Then let us show it by our works, and remove from our hearts everything that will shut out Jesus. The latter rain is to fall upon the people of God. A mighty angel is to come down from heaven, and the whole earth is to be lighted with his glory. Are we ready to take part in the glorious work of the third angel? Are our vessels ready to receive the heavenly dew? Have we defilement and sin in the heart? If so, let us cleanse the soul temple, and prepare for the showers of the latter rain. The refreshing from the presence of the Lord will never come to hearts filled with impurity. May God help us to die to self, that Christ, the hope of glory, may be formed within! I must have the Spirit of God in my heart. I can never go forward to do the great work of God, unless the Holy Spirit rests upon my soul. ‘As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.’ [Psalm 42: 1.] The day of judgment is upon us. O that we may wash our robes of character, and make them white in the blood of the Lamb!” Review and Herald, April 21, 1891. [Emphasis supplied.]

comment: Although this statement has reference to the experience of the people of God in preparation for the “latter rain,” it will also be the experience of those who “come out of Babylon” during the “latter rain.”

7 As the storm (the final warning) approaches, what will a large class who have professed faith in the third angel’s message do? 1 John 2:19.

note: “As the storm approaches, a large class who have professed faith in the third angel’s message, but have not been sanctified through obedience to the truth, abandon their position and join the ranks of the opposition. By uniting with the world and partaking of its spirit, they have come to view matters in nearly the same light; and when the test is brought, they are prepared to choose the easy, popular side.” The Great Controversy, 608.

8 What will these professed Seventh-day Adventists do when they abandon the faith? List five items from the two references from The Great Controversy quoted above and below. For New Testament example and the prophecy of Jesus, see John 6:60–66; Luke 21:12–17.

note: “As those disaffected disciples turned away from Christ, a different spirit took control of them. They could see nothing attractive in Him whom they had once found so interesting. They sought out His enemies, for they were in harmony with their spirit and work. They misinterpreted His words, falsified His statements, and impugned His motives. They sustained their course by gathering up every item that could be turned against Him; and such indignation was stirred up by these false reports that His life was in danger.” The Desire of Ages, 392, 393.

“Men of talent and pleasing address, who once rejoiced in the truth, employ their powers to deceive and mislead souls. They become the most bitter enemies of their former brethren. When Sabbathkeepers are brought before the courts to answer for their faith, these apostates are the most efficient agents of Satan to misrepresent and accuse them, and by false reports and insinuations to stir up the rulers against them.” The Great Controversy, 608.

9 How long will the four winds of the earth be restrained from blowing so the loud cry of the third angel may do its work? Revelation 7:1–3.

note: “But so long as Jesus remains man’s intercessor in the sanctuary above, the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit is felt by rulers and people. It still controls to some extent the laws of the land. Were it not for these laws, the condition of the world would be much worse than it now is. While many of our rulers are active agents of Satan, God also has His agents among the leading men of the nation. The enemy moves upon his servants to propose measures that would greatly impede the work of God; but statesmen who fear the Lord are influenced by holy angels to oppose such propositions with unanswerable arguments. Thus a few men will hold in check a powerful current of evil. The opposition of the enemies of truth will be restrained that the third angel’s message may do its work. When the final warning shall be given, it will arrest the attention of these leading men through whom the Lord is now working, and some of them will accept it, and will stand with the people of God through the time of trouble.” The Great Controversy, 610, 611.

10 On what important issue will all the inhabitants of the earth have to make a decision during the time of the latter rain? Joshua 24:14, 15; 1 Kings 18:21.

note: “Servants of God, with their faces lighted up and shining with holy consecration, will hasten from place to place to proclaim the message from heaven. By thousands of voices, all over the earth, the warning will be given. Miracles will be wrought, the sick will be healed, and signs and wonders will follow the believers. Satan also works, with lying wonders, even bringing down fire from heaven in the sight of men. Revelation 13:13. Thus the inhabitants of the earth will be brought to take their stand.” The Great Controversy, 612.

11 What help will be given to the honest children of God at this time? John 14:15–17.

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

12 What experience of the early Christian church will be repeated? Acts 2:47.

note: “Notwithstanding the agencies combined against the truth, a large number take their stand upon the Lord’s side.” The Great Controversy, 612.

Bible Study Guides – The Proclamation, Part 1

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November 27, 2005 – December 3, 2005

Key Text

“And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.” Revelation 18:1, 2.

Study Help: The Great Controversy, 603–607.

Introduction

“Clad in the armor of Christ’s righteousness, the church is to enter upon her final conflict. ‘Fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners’ (Song of Solomon 6:10), she is to go forth into all the world, conquering and to conquer.

“The darkest hour of the church’s struggle with the powers of evil is that which immediately precedes the day of her final deliverance. But none who trust in God need fear; for ‘when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall,’ God will be to His church ‘a refuge from the storm.’ Isaiah 25:4.” Prophets and Kings, 725.

1 How is the final message to the world described under the latter rain? Revelation 18:1, 2.

note: “This scripture [Revelation 18:1, 2, 4] points forward to a time when the announcement of the fall of Babylon, as made by the second angel of Revelation 14 (verse 8), is to be repeated, with the additional mention of the corruptions which have been entering the various organizations that constitute Babylon, since that message was first given, in the summer of 1844. A terrible condition of the religious world is here described. With every rejection of truth the minds of the people will become darker, their hearts more stubborn, until they are entrenched in an infidel hardihood. In defiance of the warnings which God has given, they will continue to trample upon one of the precepts of the Decalogue, until they are led to persecute those who hold it sacred. Christ is set at nought in the contempt placed upon His word and His people.” The Great Controversy, 603.

2 What constitutes the heart of this last message? Exodus 20:8–11.

note: “The Sabbath will be the great test of loyalty, for it is the point of truth especially controverted. When the final test shall be brought to bear upon men, then the line of distinction will be drawn between those who serve God and those who serve Him not. While the observance of the false Sabbath in compliance with the law of the state, contrary to the fourth commandment, will be an avowal of allegiance to a power that is in opposition to God, the keeping of the true Sabbath, in obedience to God’s law, is an evidence of loyalty to the Creator. While one class, by accepting the sign of submission to earthly powers, receive the mark of the beast, the other choosing the token of allegiance to divine authority, receive the seal of God.” The Great Controversy, 605.

3 What is the work of everyone who has heard the warning of the third angel’s message? Revelation 14:9–12.

note: “They [the reformers] hoped, by the example of a pure Christian life, to lead the people back to the doctrines of the Bible. But the Spirit of God came upon them as it came upon Elijah, moving him to rebuke the sins of a wicked king and an apostate people; they could not refrain from preaching the plain utterances of the Bible—doctrines which they had been reluctant to present. They were impelled to zealously declare the truth and the danger which threatened souls. The words which the Lord gave them they uttered, fearless of consequences, and the people were compelled to hear the warning.

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

“The time of test is just upon us, for the loud cry of the third angel has already begun in the revelation of the righteousness of Christ, the sin-pardoning Redeemer. This is the beginning of the light of the angel whose glory shall fill the whole earth. For it is the work of every one to whom the message of warning has come, to lift up Jesus, to present Him to the world as revealed in types, as shadowed in symbols.” The Review and Herald, November 22, 1892.

4 What does the phrase mean in Revelation 18:3, “For all nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries”? Isaiah 29:9–13; 28:7–9.

note: “The theory of eternal torment is one of the false doctrines that constitute the wine of the abomination of Babylon, of which she makes all nations drink. Revelation 14:8; 17:2. That ministers of Christ should have accepted this heresy and proclaimed it from the sacred desk is indeed a mystery. They received it from Rome, as they received the false sabbath. True, it has been taught by great and good men; but the light on this subject had not come to them as it has come to us. They were responsible only for the light which shone in their time; we are accountable for that which shines in our day. If we turn from the testimony of God’s word, and accept false doctrines because our fathers taught them, we fall under the condemnation pronounced upon Babylon; we are drinking of the wine of her abomination.” The Great Controversy, 536, 537.

5 What great sin is charged against Babylon? Revelation 18:3.

note: “The great sin charged against Babylon is that she ‘made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.’ [Revelation 18:3.] This cup of intoxication which she presents to the world represents the false doctrines that she has accepted as the result of her unlawful connection with the great ones of the earth. Friendship with the world corrupts her faith, and in her turn she exerts a corrupting influence upon the world by teaching doctrines which are opposed to the plainest statements of Holy Writ.” The Great Controversy, 388.

6 How does the angel of Revelation 18:1, 2 further describe Babylon and the wine of her adulteries? Revelation 18:2.

note: “The sins of Babylon will be laid open. The fearful results of enforcing the observances of the church by civil authority, the inroads of spiritualism, the stealthy but rapid progress of the papal power—all will be unmasked. By these solemn warnings the people will be stirred. Thousands upon thousands will listen who have never heard words like these. In amazement they hear the testimony that Babylon is the church, fallen because of her errors and sins, because of her rejection of the truth sent to her from heaven.” The Great Controversy, 606, 607.

7 How will the popular ministry react to the message of the angel of Revelation 18:1, 2, the loud cry of the third angel? For first advent parallel, see Matthew 26:47–50; Luke 22:54, 63, 66.

note: “As the controversy extends into new fields and the minds of the people are called to God’s downtrodden law, Satan is astir. The power attending the message will only madden those who oppose it. The clergy will put forth almost superhuman efforts to shut away the light lest it should shine upon their flocks. By every means at their command they will endeavor to suppress the discussion of these vital questions. . . . They will be threatened with fines and imprisonment, and some will be offered positions of influence, and other rewards and advantages, as inducements to renounce their faith. But their steadfast answer is: ‘Show us from the word of God our error’—the same plea that was made by Luther under similar circumstances. Those who are arraigned before the courts make a strong vindication of the truth, and some who hear them are led to take their stand to keep all the commandments of God. Thus light will be brought before thousands who otherwise would know nothing of these truths.” The Great Controversy, 607.

8 What powerful coalition is formed to carry out the work of the Sunday movement in opposition to the Sabbath keepers? What groups do the symbols represent? See note. Revelation 16:13, 14.

note: “As the controversy extends into new fields and the minds of the people are called to God’s downtrodden law, Satan is astir. . . . The church appeals to the strong arm of civil power, and, in this work, papists and Protestants unite. As the movement for Sunday enforcement becomes more bold and decided, the law will be invoked against commandment keepers.” The Great Controversy, 607.

9 How widespread will the message of the angel in Revelation 18:1, 2 be in the world? Revelation 18:1, 2; 16:14.

note: “The angel who unites in the proclamation of the third angel’s message is to lighten the whole earth with his glory. A work of world-wide extent and unwonted power is here foretold. The advent movement of 1840-44 was a glorious manifestation of the power of God; the first angel’s message was carried to every missionary station in the world, and in some countries there was the greatest religious interest which has been witnessed in any land since the Reformation of the sixteenth century; but these are to be exceeded by the mighty movement under the last warning of the third angel.” The Great Controversy, 611.

10 To what event will the latter rain be similar? Acts 2:1–13.

note: “The work will be similar to that of the Day of Pentecost. As the ‘former rain’ was given, in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at the opening of the gospel, to cause the upspringing of the precious seed, so the ‘latter rain’ will be given at its close for the ripening of the harvest. ‘Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: His going forth is prepared as the morning; and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.’ Hosea 6:3. ‘Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for He hath given you the former rain moderately, and He will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain.’ Joel 2:23. ‘In the last days, saith God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh.’ ‘And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ Acts 2:17, 21.” The Great Controversy, 611.

Commitment to a Lost World

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Week of Prayer for Sabbath

“Love to man is the earthward manifestation of the love of God. It was to implant this love, to make us children of one family, that the King of glory became one with us. And when His parting words are fulfilled, ‘Love one another, as I have loved you’ (John 15:12); when we love the world as He has love`d it, then for us His mission is accomplished. We are fitted for heaven; for we have heaven in our hearts.” The Desire of Ages, 641.

How did Christ love the world? “The work of the good Samaritan represents Christ’s mission to the world. Our Saviour came to reveal the character of God, to represent his love for man. He acted just as the Father would have done in all emergencies. Christ manifested for us a love that the love of man can never equal. He died to save those who were his enemies; he prayed for his murderers. When we were bruised and dying, he had pity upon us. He did not pass us by on the other side, and leave us, helpless, and hopeless, to perish. He did not remain in his holy, happy home, where he was honored by all the heavenly host, who loved to do his bidding. He beheld our sore need; he undertook our case, and identified his interests with humanity. He became ‘a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief . . . . 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.’ [Isaiah 53:3, 5.]” The Home Missionary, October 1, 1897.

Naturally, our hearts are cold and hard and selfish. This is not just a problem in the world but in the church as well: “There are sins among us as a people. Love is not cherished as it should be. A cold, selfish, indifferent hard-heartedness is increasing, and this has separated us from our God. There are reasons why the Lord does not favor us with his presence and love; there is great need of sharp, pointed testimonies, for selfishness has eaten out the love of God from our hearts. Hear what the Lord says to his people: ‘If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother; but thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth. Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him naught; and he cry unto the Lord against thee, and it be sin unto thee. Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him; because that for this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto. For the poor shall never cease out of the land; therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor and to thy needy, in thy land.’ [Deuteronomy 15:7–11.]” Review and Herald, March 11, 1884.

“Those who have the mind of Christ can not look with indifference upon human suffering. They can not be heartless, cold, and selfish. Those who are naturally inclined to tenderness and sympathy when unreservedly surrendered to God will cooperate with him in doing deeds of mercy, in relieving the distressed, tho it may call for the practice of self-denial. But those who do not cultivate gratitude to God for his mercy and love to them, who do not appreciate the great gift of Christ to our world, will not manifest sympathy for the suffering and needy, will not seek to comfort the bereaved, to minister to the fatherless and the widow. They may, like the Pharisees, make long prayers, and yet rob the widow and the fatherless, forgetting in their hardness of heart that the Lord will judge those who neglect the needy and the suffering as though they had neglected him in the person of his saints.” The Signs of the Times, January 23, 1896.

Disunity

The lack of love makes the gospel presentation nearly powerless, because what is preached from the pulpit is not matched up with what the unbeliever sees in the lives of the professed Christian believers. This is why the non-Christian world is not convinced of the superiority of the Christian religion. Non-Christians, who are called pagans and heathens by Christians, will say that they are more honest, truthful, pure, less covetous, or revengeful than some Christians they know. Christ is misrepresented in the lives of His professed followers, and the world is then deluded by the deceptions of Satan, which could not take effect if the lives of professed Christians reflected the life of Him whom they profess to be following as disciples.

At the same time, those who are in the valley of decision look at the professed followers of Christ and say that they certainly do not appear to be members of one family, since they are divided into almost countless schisms and divisions. Christian leaders for hundreds of years have known that the many divisions of Christians into various sects are a source of weakness to the Christian church. For many years, Christian leaders have been calling for Christian unity.

The papacy entered this challenge in a big way with the Vatican II Council held from 1962 to 1965, and today, the world is racing toward an ecumenical world church. One day soon, God’s remnant will have to face this ecumenical world church, headed by antichrist, which will include not just Catholicism and Protestantism but also the non-Christian world. In comparison with this colossus, God’s children will be a very small group.

Necessary Ingredient for Victory

We will never be able to successfully meet what is before us unless we have something to meet it with that our opponents do not have. What is this something with which we need to meet the future crisis and that the opposing side will not have but which will be powerful enough to win the victory over the whole world? The following quotations point out what the ingredient is that we must have in our hearts to meet the coming crisis.

“ ‘Behold,’ says the Scripture, ‘the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people; but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee.’ Isaiah 60:2.

“It is the darkness of misapprehension of God that is enshrouding the world. Men are losing their knowledge of His character. It has been misunderstood and misinterpreted. At this time a message from God is to be proclaimed, a message illuminating in its influence and saving in its power. His character is to be made known. Into the darkness of the world is to be shed the light of His glory, the light of His goodness, mercy, and truth. . . .

“Those who wait for the Bride-groom’s coming are to say to the people, ‘Behold your God.’ The last rays of merciful light, the last message of mercy to be given to the world, is a revelation of His character of love. The children of God are to manifest His glory. In their own life and character they are to reveal what the grace of God has done for them. . . .

“This is the work which the prophet Isaiah describes when he says, ‘Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily; and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward.’ Isaiah 58:7, 8.

“Thus in the night of spiritual darkness God’s glory is to shine forth through His church in lifting up the bowed down and comforting those that mourn.

“All around us are heard the wails of a world’s sorrow. On every hand are the needy and distressed. It is ours to aid in relieving and softening life’s hardships and misery.

“Practical work will have far more effect than mere sermonizing. We are to give food to the hungry, clothing to the naked, and shelter to the homeless. And we are called to do more than this. The wants of the soul, only the love of Christ can satisfy. If Christ is abiding in us, our hearts will be full of divine sympathy. The sealed fountains of earnest, Christlike love will be unsealed.

“God calls not only for our gifts for the needy, but for our cheerful countenance, our hopeful words, our kindly handclasp. When Christ healed the sick, He laid His hands upon them. So should we come in close touch with those whom we seek to benefit.

“There are many from whom hope has departed. Bring back the sunshine to them. Many have lost their courage. Speak to them words of cheer. Pray for them. There are those who need the bread of life. Read to them from the word of God. Upon many is a soul sickness which no earthly balm can reach nor physician heal. Pray for these souls, bring them to Jesus. Tell them that there is a balm in Gilead and a Physician there. . . .

“The whole earth, wrapped as it is in the darkness of sin, and sorrow, and pain, is to be lighted with the knowledge of God’s love. From no sect, rank, or class of people is the light shining from heaven’s throne to be excluded.

“The message of hope and mercy is to be carried to the ends of the earth. Whosoever will, may reach forth and take hold of God’s strength and make peace with Him, and he shall make peace. No longer are the heathen to be wrapped in midnight darkness. The gloom is to disappear before the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness. The power of hell has been overcome.

“But no man can impart that which he himself has not received. In the work of God, humanity can originate nothing. No man can by his own effort make himself a light bearer for God. It was the golden oil emptied by the heavenly messengers into the golden tubes, to be conducted from the golden bowl into the lamps of the sanctuary, that produced a continuous bright and shining light. It is the love of God continually transferred to man that enables him to impart light. Into the hearts of all who are united to God by faith the golden oil of love flows freely, to shine out again in good works, in real, heartfelt service for God.

“In the great and measureless gift of the Holy Spirit are contained all of heaven’s resources. It is not because of any restriction on the part of God that the riches of His grace do not flow earthward to men. If all were willing to receive, all would become filled with His Spirit.

“It is the privilege of every soul to be a living channel through which God can communicate to the world the treasures of His grace, the unsearchable riches of Christ. There is nothing that Christ desires so much as agents who will represent to the world His Spirit and character. There is nothing that the world needs so much as the manifestation through humanity of the Saviour’s love. All heaven is waiting for channels through which can be poured the holy oil to be a joy and blessing to human hearts.

“Christ has made every provision that His church shall be a transformed body, illumined with the Light of the world, possessing the glory of Emmanuel. It is His purpose that every Christian shall be surrounded with a spiritual atmosphere of light and peace. He desires that we shall reveal His own joy in our lives.

“The indwelling of the Spirit will be shown by the outflowing of heavenly love. The divine fullness will flow through the consecrated human agent, to be given forth to others.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 415–419.

Love is Powerful

The love of God in our hearts will begin to impel us to do something for the salvation of our fellow men. Nobody can do everything, because God has not given all the talents to any one person, but everybody can do something. The question is, Are we doing what we can do? Jesus said, concerning Mary Magdalene, “She has done what she could.” Mark 14:8. In the day of judgment, will it be said, concerning you and me, “That person has done what he or she could?” When we have the love of God in our hearts, all of us can do a very great deal, because love is powerful. In fact, it is the most powerful force in the universe, as the following quotation shows.

“Love cannot live without action, and every act increases, strengthens, and extends it. Love will gain the victory when argument and authority are powerless. Love works not for profit nor reward; yet God has ordained that great gain shall be the certain result of every labor of love. It is diffusive in its nature and quiet in its operation, yet strong and mighty in its purpose to overcome great evils. It is melting and transforming in its influence, and will take hold of the lives of the sinful and affect their hearts when every other means has proved unsuccessful. Wherever the power of intellect, of authority, or of force is employed, and love is not manifestly present, the affections and will of those whom we seek to reach assume a defensive, repelling position, and their strength of resistance is increased. Jesus was the Prince of Peace. He came into the world to bring resistance and authority into subjection to Himself. Wisdom and strength He could command, but the means He employed with which to overcome evil were the wisdom and strength of love. Suffer nothing to divide your interest from your present work until God shall see fit to give you another piece of work in the same field. Seek not for happiness, for it is never to be found by seeking for it. Go about your duty. Let faithfulness mark all your doings, and be clothed with humility.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 135.

Strongest Human Impulse

When we have the love of God in our hearts so that we love the world the way Christ loved it, then Christ’s mission for us is complete, and we are ready to go to heaven! In fact, we have heaven already in our hearts! (The Desire of Ages, 641.)

This is no small order of change for us, because: “Selfishness is the strongest and most general of human impulses, the struggle of the soul between sympathy and covetousness is an unequal contest; for while selfishness is the strongest passion, love and benevolence are too often the weakest, and as a rule the evil gains the victory. Therefore in our labors and gifts for God’s cause, it is unsafe to be controlled by feeling or impulse.” Counsels on Stewardship, 25.

“A constant battle must be kept up with the selfishness and corruption of the human heart.” Manual for Canvassers, 60.

“Selfishness girds many about as with iron bands. It is ‘my farm,’ ‘my goods,’ ‘my trade,’ ‘my merchandise.’ Even the claims of common humanity are disregarded by them. Men and women professing to be waiting and loving the appearing of their Lord are shut up to self. The noble, the godlike, they have parted with. The love of the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life, have so fastened upon them that they are blinded. They are corrupted by the world and discern it not. They talk of love to God, but their fruits show not the love they express. They rob Him in tithes and offerings, and the withering curse of God is upon them. The truth has been illuminating their pathway on every side. God has wrought wonderfully in the salvation of souls in their own households, but where are their offerings, presented to Him in grateful thanks for all His tokens of mercy to them? Many of them are as unthankful as the brute creation. The sacrifice for man was infinite, beyond the comprehension of the strongest intellect, yet men who claim to be partakers of these heavenly benefits, which were brought to them at so great a cost, are too thoroughly selfish to make any real sacrifice for God. Their minds are upon the world, the world, the world.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 197, 198.

“Schism and division are not the fruits of righteousness; they are of the wicked one. The great hindrance to our advancement at this time is the selfishness that prevents believers from having true fellowship with one another. The last prayer that Christ offered for His disciples before His trial was that they might be one in Him. Satan is determined that this oneness shall not be, for it is the strongest witness that can be borne that God did indeed send His Son to reconcile the world to heaven.—Letter 41, February 24, 1903, to Dr. F. E. Braucht, a physician laboring in Chicago.” The Upward Look, 69.

Needed Change of Heart

How are we going to acquire the change in heart that we so desperately need so the devil may be forced to quit mocking Christ by the lives of His professed followers? This is what the devil is saying to the Lord about us now:

“Satan urges before God his accusations against them, declaring that they have by their sins forfeited the divine protection, and claiming the right to destroy them as transgressors. He pronounces them just as deserving as himself of exclusion from the favor of God. ‘Are these,’ he says, ‘the people who are to take my place in heaven and the place of the angels who united with me? While they profess to obey the law of God, have they kept its precepts? Have they not been lovers of self more than of God? Have they not placed their own interests above His service? Have they not loved the things of the world? Look at the sins which have marked their lives. Behold their selfishness, their malice, their hatred toward one another.’ ” Testimonies, vol. 5, 473, 474.

Counsel Given

Divine counsel is given for people in our condition:

  1. Because of our great need for a change of heart, we are counseled to pray every day to be delivered from selfishness: “Let our daily prayer go up to God that He will divest us of selfishness. . . .” Our High Calling, 242.
  2. Begin to practice self-denial for the good of others.

“What can I say to you, my brethren and sisters, that will arouse you to the importance of the times in which we live, and lead you to a faithful examination of heart and life? Are your lives in harmony with the life of sacrifice that Christ lived on the earth? In giving his Son to the human race, the Father gave to his church a wonderful example of self-forgetting love. Christ came that he might open to the comprehension of men and women the principles that underlie the great plan of redemption, that they might be led to cooperate with him in his work of sacrifice for the salvation of mankind. But the want of fervor, the lack of self-denial, on the part of many who bear Christ’s name, hinder the doing of the very work for which his church on earth was organized. The selfishness and indifference manifested by professing Christians soothes the consciences of many who would be aroused from their unbelief, had they before them in the lives of professing Christians, a living witness to the power of the gospel to transform the character.

“Self-sacrifice is the key-note of Christ’s teachings. Often this is enjoined upon believers in language that seems authoritative, because there is no other way to save men than to cut them away from their life of selfishness. Christ gave, in his life on earth, a true representation of the power of the gospel. He suffered the cruel death on the cross, that we might have a true conception of his love for us, and of the spirit of self-sacrifice that must take possession of every believer in him. He became poor that we through his poverty might be made rich. To every soul who will suffer with him in resistance of sin, in labor for his cause, in self-denial for the good of others, he promises a part in the eternal reward of the righteous. Through the exercise of the spirit that characterized his life-work, we are to become partakers of his nature. Partaking in this life of sacrifice for the sake of others, we shall share with him in the life to come the ‘far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.’ [11 Co-rinthians 4:17.]” Review and Herald, September 28, 1911.

  1. Do something active to help people who are suffering.

“There is a great work to be done in our world, and as we approach the close of earth’s history, it does not lessen in the least degree; but when the perfect love of God is in the heart, wonderful things will be done. Christ will be in the heart of the believer as a well of water springing up unto everlasting life. But those who manifest indifference to the suffering ones of humanity will be charged with indifference to Jesus Christ in the person of his suffering saints. Nothing saps spirituality from the soul more quickly than to inclose it in selfishness and self-caring. Those who indulge self and neglect to care for the souls and bodies of those for whom Christ has given his life, are not eating of the bread of life, nor drinking of the water of the well of salvation. They are dry and sapless, like a tree that bears no fruit. They are spiritual dwarfs, who consume their means of self; but ‘whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.’ [Galatians 6:7.]” Ibid., January 15, 1895.

  1. Practice economy, so you will have money to give to the Lord’s cause in the world and be faithful in returning to the Lord His own in tithes and offerings.

“God calls upon his people to awake to their responsibilities. A flood of light is shining from his Word, and there must be a meeting of neglected obligations. When these are met, by giving to the Lord his own in tithes and offerings, the way will be opened for the world to hear the message that the Lord designs it to hear. If our people had the love of God in the heart, if every church-member were imbued with the spirit of self-sacrifice, there would be no lack of funds for home and foreign missions; our resources would be multiplied; a thousand doors of usefulness would be opened; and we should be invited to enter. Had the purpose of God been carried out in giving the message of mercy to the world, Christ would have come, and the saints would have received their welcome into the city of God.

“If ever there was a time when sacrifices should be made, it is now. My brethren and sisters, practise economy in your homes. Put away the idols that you have placed before God. Give up your selfish pleasures. Do not, I beg of you, spend means in embellishing your houses; for your money belongs to God, and to him you must give an account for its use. Do not use the Lord’s money to gratify the fancies of your children. Teach them that God has a claim on all they possess, and that nothing can ever cancel this claim.

“Money is a needed treasure. Do not lavish it upon those who need it not. Some one needs your willing gifts. There are those in the world who are hungry, starving. You may say, I can not feed them all. But by practising Christ’s lessons of economy, you can feed one. ‘Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.’ [John 6:12.] These words were spoken by him whose power wrought a miracle to supply the needs of a hungry multitude.

“If you have extravagant habits, cut them away from your life at once. Unless you do this, you will be bankrupt for eternity. Habits of economy, industry, and sobriety, are a better portion for your children than a rich dowry.” Review and Herald, December 24, 1903.

“But ‘if thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; if thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not He that pondereth the heart consider it? and He that keepeth thy soul, doth not He know it? and shall not He render to every man according to his works?’ Proverbs 24:11, 12. In the great Judgment day, those who have not worked for Christ, who have drifted along thinking of themselves, caring for themselves, will be placed by the Judge of the whole earth with those who did evil. They receive the same condemnation.” The Desire of Ages, 641.

“To men he offers the kingdom of this world on condition that they will acknowledge his supremacy. He requires that they sacrifice integrity, disregard conscience, indulge selfishness. Christ bids them seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; but Satan walks by their side and says: Whatever may be true in regard to life eternal, in order to make a success in this world you must serve me. I hold your welfare in my hands. I can give you riches, pleasures, honor, and happiness. Hearken to my counsel. Do not allow yourselves to be carried away with whimsical notions of honesty or self-sacrifice. I will prepare the way before you. Thus multitudes are deceived. They consent to live for the service of self, and Satan is satisfied. While he allures them with the hope of worldly dominion, he gains dominion over the soul. But he offers that which is not his to bestow, and which is soon to be wrested from him. In return he beguiles them of their title to the inheritance of the sons of God.” Ibid., 130.

Our Influence

If we are not working for Christ by helping to save a lost world, if we are drifting along thinking about ourselves, caring for ourselves, serving ourselves, we are in as lost a condition as any evildoer. Many of us need to ask ourselves if we are not in a lost condition by our failure to be active in the cause of Christ.

We each have an influence. To every soul a trust is given. Someone is either going to be saved or lost because of our influence. What is our influence in our family? in our local church? in our workplace? among our social acquaintances? Someday, the Judge of all the earth is going to ask us to give an account of our influence. He is going to ask us where those people are whom He gave us to influence. “Of everyone the Chief Shepherd will demand, ‘Where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?’ And ‘what wilt thou say when He shall punish thee?’ Jeremiah 13:20, 21.” Ibid., 641.

Pastor John Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas.