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Annual Assemblies: the Day of Atonement

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Light For Today From the Sanctuary Service

September 1 – 7, 2024

Key Text

“Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement.” Leviticus 23:27, first part

Study Help: The Great Controversy, 417–422

Introduction

“Once a year, on the great Day of Atonement, the [high] priest entered the most holy place for the cleansing of the sanctuary.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 355

Sunday

1 THE FEASTS OF TRUMPETS AND OF TABERNACLES

1.a. What feast heralded the coming of the Day of Atonement? Leviticus 23:24, 25; Numbers 29:1

 

1.b. What feast was held after the Day of Atonement and after the harvest was reaped? Leviticus 23:34–36, 40–43; Deuteronomy 16:13–15

 

Note: “We sustain a loss when we neglect the privilege of associating together to strengthen and encourage one another in the service of God. The truths of His word lose their vividness and importance in our minds. Our hearts cease to be enlightened and aroused by the sanctifying influence, and we decline in spirituality. … We are all children of one Father, dependent upon one another for happiness. The claims of God and of humanity are upon us. It is the proper cultivation of the social elements of our nature that brings us into sympathy with our brethren and affords us happiness in our efforts to bless others.

“The Feast of Tabernacles was not only commemorative but typical. It not only pointed back to the wilderness sojourn, but, as the feast of harvest, it celebrated the ingathering of the fruits of the earth, and pointed forward to the great day of final ingathering, when the Lord of the harvest shall send forth His reapers to gather the tares together in bundles for the fire, and to gather the wheat into His garner.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 541

Monday

2 A NECESSARY DISTINCTION: SINS PARDONED VS. SINS BLOTTED OUT

2.a. What was accomplished through the daily atonement? Exodus 29:39; Leviticus 4:13–20

 

Note: “In the sin offerings presented during the year, a substitute had been accepted in the sinner’s stead; but the blood of the victim had not made full atonement for the sin. It had only provided a means by which the sin was transferred to the sanctuary. By the offering of blood, the sinner acknowledged the authority of the law, confessed the guilt of his transgression, and expressed his faith in Him who was to take away the sin of the world; but he was not entirely released from the condemnation of the law.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 355, 356

“The blood, representing the forfeited life of the sinner, whose guilt the victim bore, was carried by the priest into the holy place and sprinkled before the veil, behind which was the ark containing the law that the sinner had transgressed. By this ceremony the sin was, through the blood, transferred in figure to the sanctuary.” The Great Controversy, 418

2.b. How do we know that pardon and blotting out of sins are two different things? Ezekiel 18:24; Matthew 18:32–35

 

Note: “The blood of Christ, while it was to release the repentant sinner from the condemnation of the law, was not to cancel the sin; it would stand on record in the sanctuary until the final atonement; so in the type the blood of the sin offering removed the sin from the penitent, but it rested in the sanctuary until the Day of Atonement.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 357

“Our true position, and the only one in which there is any safety, is that of repentance and confession of sins before God. Feeling that we are sinners, we shall have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, who alone is able to pardon transgression and impute unto us righteousness. When the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord, then the sins of the repentant soul, who received the grace of Christ and has overcome through the blood of the Lamb will be removed from the records of heaven and will be placed upon Satan, the scapegoat, the originator of sin, and be remembered no more against him forever. The sins of the overcomers will be blotted out of the books of record, but their names will be retained on the book of life.” The Signs of the Times, May 16, 1895

Tuesday

3 THE DAY OF ATONEMENT

3.a. When did the Day of Atonement for removing the sins from the sanctuary occur? Leviticus 23:27

 

3.b. Although the sins of the people were forgiven in the daily atonement, their sins still existed—accumulated in the sanctuary. What ceremony was performed, once a year, to put their past sins, symbolically, out of existence? Leviticus 16:16, 30

 

3.c. On the Day of Atonement, what ritual was practiced with the two goats that were brought to the high priest for the removal of sin from the people and from the sanctuary? Leviticus 16:7–10

 

3.d. What did the high priest have to do before making atonement for the people? Leviticus 16:11

 

3.e.      What was the procedure with the goat of the sin offering? Leviticus 16:15–19. Whom did that goat represent? John 19:13–15; 1 Corinthians 15:3

 

Note: “The goat upon which fell the lot for the Lord was to be slain as a sin offering for the people. And the priest was to bring his blood within the veil and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat and before the mercy seat. The blood was also to be sprinkled upon the altar of incense that was before the veil.” The Great Controversy, 419

3.f.       As soon as the sanctuary had been purified from the “uncleanness of the children of Israel,” what did the high priest do with the sins that had just been removed? Leviticus 16:20–22

 

Wednesday

4 THE CLEANSING OF THE SANCTUARY

4.a. To what forthcoming experience did the blowing of the trumpets, ten days in advance (Numbers 29:1), call the attention of the people? What were all expected to do on the Day of Atonement? Leviticus 16:29, 30; 23:27, 32

 

4.b. What would happen to those who would not afflict their souls on that great day? Leviticus 23:29, 30.
What will happen to those who willfully sin after having received the knowledge of the truth? Hebrews 10:26–31

 

Note: “To sin, wherever found, ‘our God is a consuming fire.’ Hebrews 12:29. In all who submit to His power the Spirit of God will consume sin. But if men cling to sin, they become identified with it. Then the glory of God, which destroys sin, must destroy them.” The Desire of Ages, 107

4.c. What did the ancient Day of Atonement symbolize? Proverbs 16:6; Hebrews 9:11–14, 25–28

 

Note: “The blood of Christ, while it was to release the repentant sinner from the condemnation of the law, was not to cancel the sin; it would stand on record in the sanctuary until the final atonement; so in the type the blood of the sin offering removed the sin from the penitent, but it rested in the sanctuary until the Day of Atonement.

“In the great day of final award, the dead are to be ‘judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.’ Revelation 20:12. Then by virtue of the atoning blood of Christ, the sins of all the truly penitent will be blotted from the books of heaven. Thus the sanctuary will be freed, or cleansed, from the record of sin. In the type, this great work of atonement, or blotting out of sins, was represented by the services of the Day of Atonement—the cleansing of the earthly sanctuary, which was accomplished by the removal, by virtue of the blood of the sin offering, of the sins by which it had been polluted.

“As in the final atonement the sins of the truly penitent are to be blotted from the records of heaven, no more to be remembered or come into mind, so in the type they were borne away into the wilderness, forever separated from the congregation.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 357, 358

Thursday

5 LIFE OR DEATH IN THE BALANCE

5.a. What parallel can be seen between the scapegoat of Leviticus 16:21, and Satan as described in Revelation 20:1–3?

 

Note: “Since Satan is the originator of sin, the direct instigator of all the sins that caused the death of the Son of God, justice demands that Satan shall suffer the final punishment.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 358

 

5.b. What warning can help us escape the destruction of sin and sinners? Proverbs 16:3; Acts 3:19. Give examples of false repentance. 2 Corinthians 7:10; 1 Samuel 15:24; Matthew 27:3, 4

 

Note: “God has erected the barriers of testimonies as a wall about you to guard you from falling under the specious wiles of the enemy, but you break all these down and press over everything to follow your inclination. Your sorrow for your sins is like that of those who anciently rent their garments to express their grief but did not afflict their souls. You have not a correct sense of what sin is. The aggravating character of unchastity of thought and actions you have not sensed. Your mind is carnal, and that almost continually. If you really were sorry for your sins, if you really had a true sense of your wrongs, you would exercise that repentance that needeth not to be repented of.” Testimonies on Sexual Behavior, Adultery, and Divorce, 169

5.c. In whom only is there hope for us? Romans 5:6–11

 

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1          What was the meaning of the Day of Atonement that occurred once a year? When did it take place?

2          What was the difference between the daily and yearly atonements?

3          What is the difference between pardon and blotting out of sin?

4          What was the symbolic meaning of the two goats brought to the sanctuary?

5          Explain the parallel between the fate of the scapegoat and of Satan.

Copyright 2010, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24019-5048, U.S.A.

Recipe – Coconut Macaroons

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Coconut

Botanically speaking, a coconut is a fibrous one-seeded drupe, also known as a dry drupe. However, when using loose definitions, the coconut can be a fruit, a nut, and a seed.

Did you know?

  • The name coconut is actually a combination of nut, and the Portuguese word coco, meaning head or skull.
  • Just like mangoes, cashews, and cherries, the coconut is actually a drupe and not a nut. The drupe is an item that has a fleshy outer part around a pit.
  • The coconut tree, botanically named Cocus Nucifera, can grow up to 82 feet high and produce up to 180 coconuts during a single harvest season.
  • Coconut water contains 94% water, on average, with approximately 46 calories in a cup.
  • Coconut oils contain MCTs—medium-chain triglycerides—which are easy to digest. The oil is a source of energy and has an accelerating effect on metabolism. Coconut oils are very healthy and good for the heart.
  • On average, three and a half cups of coconut equate to one tablespoon of fiber, the recommended daily amount of fiber for an adult.
  • Coconuts, in different forms, are anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-parasitical.
  • During World War II in the Pacific theater, coconut water was used to give emergency plasma transfusions to wounded soldiers.
  • The husk of a coconut can actually be burnt to act as a natural mosquito repellent, a process used in many countries around the world.
  • 5% of injuries in Papua New Guinea’s Provincial Hospital were reportedly caused by falling coconuts.

Coconut in its many forms—chips, butter, oil, or as a refreshing beverage—is used all around the world.

Source: unicomtea.com/20-fun-facts-about-coconuts

Recipe – Coconut Macaroons

Ingredients

¼ cup full fat coconut milk

3 Tbs. maple syrup

3 Tbs. chickpea flour

½ tsp. vanilla bean powder

¼ tsp. salt

finely grated citrus zest, optional

2 cups packed unsweetened shredded coconut, roughly chopped

Process

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, whisk the coconut milk, maple syrup, chickpea flour, vanilla bean powder, salt, and citrus zest, if using, until smooth. Add coconut, stirring until blended. Scoop tablespoons of dough with a small cookie scoop into compact rounds onto baking sheet, two inches apart. Bake at 325°F for 25–30 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack.

Note: The chickpea flour acts as an egg replacement with no chickpea taste.

Unrequited Love

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Again the Son of God was seized with superhuman agony, and, fainting and exhausted, He staggered back to the place of His former struggle. His suffering was even greater than before. Only a short time before, Christ had poured out His soul in songs of praise in unfaltering accents, as one who was conscious of His Sonship to God. He had spoken to His disciples in words of tenderness and love. Now His voice came to them on the still evening air, not in tones of triumph, but full of human anguish. So lately He had been serene in His majesty, He had been like a mighty cedar; now He was as a broken reed. The words of the Saviour were borne to the ears of the drowsy disciples, ‘O My Father, if this cup may not pass away from Me, except I drink it, Thy will be done.’ ” The Signs of the Times, December 2, 1897

A dictionary definition of agony is “pain so extreme as to cause writhing or contortions of the body; extreme pain of body or mind, appropriately the pangs of death; violent contest or striving.” Jesus suffered in His human body and mind. “The temptations of Christ, and His sufferings under them, were proportionate to His exalted, sinless character. But in every time of distress, Christ turned to His Father. He ‘resisted unto blood’ in that hour when the fear of moral failure was as the fear of death.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 131. Christ was not afraid to die for us. His fear was that He would fail, thus becoming an imperfect sacrifice. This was the devil’s intended purpose as he exerted all of his evil power against the humanity of Christ—a moral failure, an imperfect sacrifice, the plan of salvation ruined.

“Hear that agonized prayer of Christ in the garden of Gethsemane! While the disciples were sleeping beneath the spreading branches of the olive trees, the Son of man—a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief—was prostrate upon the cold earth. As the agony of soul came upon Him, large blood drops were forced from His pores, and with the falling dew moistened the sods of Gethsemane … .” The Signs of the Times, December 2, 1897. Notice the adjectives that Mrs. White uses—fear, sorrow, grief, agony of soul—all feelings of the mind.

“Christ was now standing in a different attitude from that in which He had ever stood before. Hitherto He had been as an intercessor for others; now He longs for an intercessor for Himself. In His soul anguish, He lay prostrate upon the cold earth. Christ had suffered insult at the hands of the men whom He came to bless and save; He had been charged with being linked with Beelzebub, that His miracles of healing were wrought through satanic agencies; but these things did not cause Him the intense agony of soul He was now suffering. He was bearing the penalty of transgression for a sinful world. This proceeded not from Satan nor from man. It is best described in the words of the prophet, ‘Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, and against the Man that is My fellow, saith the Lord of hosts.’ Christ was realizing His Father’s frown. He was now suffering under divine justice. He saw what justice meant. He felt that as man’s substitute and surety He must be bound to the altar. He had taken the cup of suffering from the lips of guilty men, and proposed to drink it Himself, and in its place give to men the cup of blessing.” Ibid. This is what Jesus did for us. He took the cup that was ours, and said, I will drink it for you. And in its place, He offers His own to us. He took the curse, and gives us the blessing.

“Satan urged upon Christ all the force of his temptations. He presented before Him that the sin of the world, so offensive to God, was chastisement too great. He would never again be looked upon as pure and holy and undefiled, as God’s only-begotten Son. He had Himself become a sinner, and would suffer the penalty of sin. The wrath that would have fallen upon man, was now to fall upon Him.” Ibid.

We cannot comprehend this kind of temptation.

“Christ sojourned thirty-three years in this world, and how was He treated? The world disowned Him, scorned Him, and pronounced sentence against Him in the judgment hall, and, as agents of the prince of darkness, acted out his spirit in putting Christ to death. It was the worst that humanity could do. It was unrequited love that broke the heart of the Son of God.” The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, 176

The heart of Jesus was broken because those whom He loved so dearly did not love Him in return.

“The Son of God placed Himself in the sinner’s stead, and passed over the ground where Adam fell, and endured the temptation in the wilderness which was a hundredfold stronger than was or ever will be brought to bear upon the human race.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 5, 112

What a contrast between His temptations and ours! Divine love was the foundation of Jesus’ human spiritual nature, and it was because of love that His human spiritual nature was free from every taint of sin. We find not one seed of selfishness in His human nature. When He was tempted in all points like as we are, His own desire for the removal of suffering was a hundredfold stronger than fallen man will ever be called upon to experience.

In the Wilderness – Appetite

Christ faced three specific temptations. “In the wilderness of temptation, Christ met the great leading temptations that would assail man. … The first great temptation was upon appetite; the second, presumption; the third, love of the world.” Testimonies, Vol. 4, 44

“Appetite and passion, the love of the world, and presumptuous sins, were the great branches of evil out of which every species of crime, violence, and corruption grew.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 280

Appetite is “a natural desire to satisfy a bodily need” or “a strong desire or liking for something.” Appetite typically refers to food or drink, but appetite can also refer to a strong desire and/or emotion, an eagerness or longing such as we see in love, sexual passion, anger, the desire for wealth and fame, envy and covetousness, addictions, and the desire for power and control. This type of appetite is directed toward something or someone. Passion does not exist without an object on which to focus it.

There are two kinds of appetite—natural and artificial. Jesus inherited natural appetites. Artificial appetites are cultivated. Appetite was the first temptation Jesus faced in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1–3). “When Christ bore the test of temptation upon the point of appetite, He did not stand in beautiful Eden, as did Adam, with the light and love of God seen in everything His eye rested upon. But He was in a barren, desolate wilderness, surrounded with wild beasts.” The Review and Herald, August 4, 1874

“Our Saviour fasted nearly six weeks, that He might gain for man the victory upon the point of appetite.”

“He knew that appetite would be man’s idol, and would lead him [man] to forget God, and would stand directly in the way of his salvation.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 284

“He [the devil] put forth his strongest efforts to overcome Christ on the point of appetite at a time when He was enduring the keenest pangs of hunger.” The Review and Herald, March 18, 1875

Some time ago, a health reformer wrote a book on fasting. He stated that 40 days appears to be the maximum amount of time that a human being can fast without sustaining lasting damage to the body. Jesus fasted for 40 days. More recently, the medical community says that fasting for more than three days without medical supervision is neither safe nor advisable.

When a person fasts for a few days, drinking plenty of water, the feeling of hunger dissipates. But if a person fasts for weeks, the hunger pangs return worse than before. In the first three days, the body will use up all of the glucose stored in the liver for energy. After that, the liver will begin to process body fat (ketosis). When the body fat has been depleted, the body enters the starvation stage during which it begins to “mine” the muscles and other vital organs for energy. Death from starvation typically results once 40-50% of the person’s original weight has been lost, within approximately 60-70 days. Those with a greater amount of body fat can last longer. (Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunger_strike#Medical_view)

So, we can see that at the end of Jesus’ 40-day fast in the wilderness, He had already passed the stage where His liver had used up all the glucose it had stored, processed all His body fat, and He was now in the starvation stage. His body had begun to mine His muscles and vital organs for the energy to stay alive, and He was experiencing the keenest pangs of hunger. It was at this point that the devil came to Him.

Jesus experienced a hunger—a terrible power of temptation, and the drawing of desire—that we will never be asked to experience. Did Jesus desire something to eat after fasting 40 days? The power of appetite is determined by the degree of hunger and Jesus experienced the maximum degree of hunger that it is possible for a human being to have and not have permanent damage in the body.

The degree of extreme hunger that Jesus experienced far exceeded the craving desires of a drug addict, a smoker, an alcoholic, a glutton, or a person who is or has been a slave of any other vice. No one who has been a slave to appetite no matter the form it takes, can say that Jesus cannot understand how they feel. “The victory gained was designed, not only to set an example to those who have fallen under the power of appetite, but to qualify the Redeemer for His special work of reaching to the very depths of human woe.” The Review and Herald, March 18, 1875

We have a Saviour who wants to save and who is uniquely qualified to save everyone to the uttermost, even those who dwell at the very bottom of the pit of sin. When Christ was tempted on the point of appetite, He reached to the very depths of human woe.

“By experiencing in Himself the strength of Satan’s temptation, and of human sufferings and infirmities, He would know how to succor [help] those who should put forth efforts to help themselves.” Ibid.

When the devil came to Jesus in this first temptation, he assumed the form of an angel of light to deceive Jesus. He attempted to make Jesus believe that he was a messenger from the throne of God sent to lend aid and to tell Him that His fast was over.

“If You are the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread,” Satan taunted Jesus. Jesus could have spoken a word and it would have been done. But if He had, it would have broken the agreement He had made with His Father that while on earth as a man, He would never work a divine miracle for His own benefit making void the plan of salvation. Furthermore, He would have been accepting the devil’s statement of doubt, “If … .” You and I cannot speak and stones become bread, but Jesus could and because He could, it made the temptation to use His divine power to prove that He was the Son of God more powerful than any temptation that you or I will ever face.

In the Wilderness – Presumption

“The second temptation was on the point of presumption.” Sermons and Talks, Vol. 2, 218

“Only He who has true faith is secure against presumption. For presumption is Satan’s counterfeit of faith. Faith claims God’s promises, and brings forth fruit in obedience. Presumption also claims the promises, but uses them as Satan did, to excuse transgression. Faith would have led our first parents to trust the love of God, and to obey His commands. Presumption led them to transgress His law, believing that His great love would save them from the consequence of their sin.” The Desire of Ages, 126

Still today—6,000 years of sin later—millions of people believe that they can go through their lives sinning, but never overcoming, and God will save them anyway because He loves mankind so much He couldn’t bear to let anyone die. And they would be right that God loves man and that it was never His plan that anyone should die. But for the soul that sins, death is still the penalty, and no matter how much God loves the human race, He does not change, therefore, neither can His law be changed.

“It is not faith that claims the favor of heaven without complying with the conditions on which mercy is to be granted. Genuine faith has its foundation in the promises and provisions of the Scriptures.” Ibid.

True faith is based on trusting God, claiming His promises, and allowing His grace to work in the life to keep the believer from falling. Presumption is based on doubt and unbelief. It, too, claims God’s promises, but uses them to excuse transgression. Presumption believes that His love is greater than His justice and that God did not really mean that the soul that sins will die. But God says what He means and means what He says. Inspiration tells us that this is a hard lesson for man to learn.

Again, the devil approached Jesus as an angel of light. He took Jesus into the holy city up on the pinnacle of the temple, and, throwing doubt as to who Jesus really is, he said, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over You,’ and ‘In their hands they shall bear You up, lest You dash Your foot against a stone.’ ” Matthew 4:6

Satan quoted a Bible promise. Well, he quoted part of the promise, but not all of it.

“For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.” Psalm 91:11

“In all Your ways”—in other words, according to God’s way. “The wily foe himself presents words that proceeded from the mouth of God. … he makes it evident that he is acquainted with the Scriptures … .

“When he quoted the promise, ‘He shall give His angels charge over Thee,’ he omitted the words, ‘to keep Thee in all Thy ways’: that is, in all the ways of God’s choosing. Jesus refused to go outside the path of obedience. … He would not force Providence to come to His rescue, and thus fail of giving man an example of trust and submission.” The Truth About Angels, 174, 175

Jesus’ response—found in Deuteronomy 6:16—to Satan was, “ ‘It is written again, You shall not tempt the Lord thy God.’ ” These words were spoken by Moses to the children of Israel when they thirsted in the desert, and demanded that Moses should give them water, exclaiming, “ ‘Is the Lord among us, or not?’ ”  Exodus 17:7. God had wrought marvelously for them; yet in trouble they doubted Him, and demanded evidence that He was with them. In their unbelief, they sought to put Him to the test, and Satan was urging Christ to do the same thing.

When John the Baptist baptized Jesus, the Bible says that when He came up out of the water, the heavens opened and the Spirit like a dove descended upon Him. A voice spoke from heaven saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17

After His baptism, the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness, where He was tempted for 40 days. This particular temptation—presumption—was a parallel of the experience of ancient Israel when in their unbelief they tempted God. “God had already testified that Jesus was His Son; and now to ask for proof that He was the Son of God would be putting God’s word to the test—tempting Him. And the same would be true of asking for that which God had not promised. It would manifest distrust, and be really proving, or tempting, Him.” The Desire of Ages, 126

Temptation is a test to prove something. “We should not present our petitions to God to prove whether He will fulfill His word, but because He will fulfill it; not to prove that He loves us, but because He loves us. ‘Without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.’ Hebrews 11:6.” Ibid.

Jesus did not yield to either of the first two wilderness temptations, but He knew that we would.

“… through no class of temptations does he [Satan] achieve greater success than through those addressed to the appetite. If he can control the appetite, he can control the whole man.” Temperance, 276

“If Satan cannot prevent persons from exercising faith, he will try to lead them to presume upon the willingness and power of God, by placing themselves unnecessarily in the way of temptation. Presumption is a most common temptation, and as Satan assails men with this, he obtains the victory nine times out of ten.” The Signs of the Times, September 29, 1887

Every Christian needs to study the subject of presumption because we are all in a fight that the devil wins 90% of the time. If we are to win in this fight, then we must be studying and praying to strengthen our offense in the fight.

In the Wilderness – Pride

Having failed with the first and second temptations, Satan changed things up for the third. Interestingly, he no longer attempted to deceive Jesus by coming as an angel of light sent from the throne of God. Throwing off the disguise he used in the first two temptations, he came to Jesus as himself. Then he took Jesus up on a high mountain, a vantage point from which all the kingdoms of the world could be seen. All of these are mine, he said, but I will give them to You “if You will fall down and worship me.” Matthew 4:9

Satan came to Jesus claiming to be the rightful ruler of the world, willing to confer this honor on Jesus if He would simply bow down and acknowledge that Satan had the authority to do as he promised. Absolute blasphemy! How this must have stung the heart of Christ. Jesus had already defeated Satan in heaven. Satan was the ruler of nothing but evil. However, here in this world in the guise of fallen humanity, He now stands confronted by His chief adversary and the enemy of man, this boastful fiend who so successfully usurps Christ’s place in the hearts of all mankind.

“In the first two great temptations Satan had not revealed his true purposes or his character. He claimed to be an exalted messenger from the courts of heaven, but he now throws off his disguise. In a panoramic view he presented before Christ all the kingdoms of the world in the most attractive light, while he claimed to be the prince of the world.

“This last temptation was the most alluring of the three. …

“The eye of Jesus for a moment rested upon the glory presented before Him; but He turned away and refused to look upon the entrancing spectacle. He would not endanger His steadfast integrity by dallying with the tempter. When Satan solicited homage, Christ’s divine indignation was aroused, and He could no longer tolerate the blasphemous assumption of Satan, or even permit him to remain in His presence. Here Christ exercised His divine authority.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 285, 286

Does that last sentence give you pause? There are many statements in the Spirit of Prophecy that tell us that Jesus, in His humanity, exercised no power on His own behalf that is not freely available to us. But this seems to suggest that divine power is available to us when we face temptations. (See Christ’s Object Lessons, 333.)

“By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” 2 Peter 1:4

“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” James 4:7

“Placing Jesus upon a high mountain, Satan caused the kingdoms of the world, in all their glory, to pass in panoramic view before Him. The sunlight lay on templed cities, marble palaces, fertile fields, and fruit-laden vineyards. The traces of evil were hidden. The eyes of Jesus, so lately greeted by gloom and desolation, now gazed upon a scene of unsurpassed loveliness and prosperity. Then the tempter’s voice was heard: ‘All this power will I give Thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If Thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be Thine.’ ” The Desire of Ages, 129

“The strength of this temptation to the Saviour was greater than the human mind can understand.” The Review and Herald, May 14, 1908

“Satan brought all his strength to bear upon this last temptation, for this last effort was to decide his destiny as to who should be victor.” Ibid., September 1, 1874

Satan knew that if he was to win the great controversy, it had to be at that moment. He had to overcome Christ in His humanity, or he would be overcome. “This was the most subtle and overpowering temptation that Satan could bring against Christ in His human nature to unsettle His faith in His heavenly Father and to separate Him from God.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 18, 86

Jesus gazed upon the kingdoms of the world for but a moment, then He turned to Satan and said, “ ‘Away with you, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.” ’ ” Matthew 4:10

Defeated, Satan left, and angels were sent to minister to Christ.

Ultimate Victory

Christ knew who He was and He knew things about His future, but this knowledge brought little peace to His life. “At every opportunity they manifested their bitter opposition against Christ. There was no more peace for Him; for the caviling of His enemies was continual, and their plans to entrap Him abundant.” The Signs of the Times, February 8, 1899

As He was our substitute and surety, all of our guilt and sin was laid upon Him. He was counted as a transgressor that we might be redeemed from the condemnation of the law. Jesus was to bear, on man’s behalf, the indignation and wrath of God against sin and sinners to the cross.

“Now with the terrible weight of guilt He bears, He cannot see the Father’s reconciling face. The withdrawal of the divine countenance from the Saviour in this hour of supreme anguish pierced His heart with a sorrow that can never be fully understood by man.” The Desire of Ages, 753

This was real. It was real when they pulled His beard until patches of it came out. The spit was real. The brutality was real. The crown of thorns was real. The hammer and nails used to nail Him to the cross were real. It was real when they slammed the cross into the ground tearing His flesh. Yet this intense, physical agony was as nothing compared to the mental agony He endured.

“Satan with his fierce temptations wrung the heart of Jesus. The Saviour could not see through the portals of the tomb. Hope did not present to Him His coming forth from the grave a conqueror, or tell Him of the Father’s acceptance of the sacrifice. He feared that sin was so offensive to God that Their separation was to be eternal. Christ felt the anguish which the sinner will feel when mercy shall no longer plead for the guilty race.” Ibid., 754

On the cross, Christ felt the horror of the people who will die the second death—absolute aloneness, total and eternal separation from God.

The sense of sin and the Father’s wrath were real and they broke Jesus’ heart. Jesus knew the sorrow and suffering that He would endure, and still He took each step to Calvary. Friends, there is coming a time when, because of our faith and love for God, we will experience suffering, scorn, rejection, and imprisonment, even death, but no mortal man will experience it to the degree that our Lord did.

“Christ’s mission could be fulfilled only through suffering. Before Him was a life of sorrow, hardship, and conflict, and an ignominious death. He must bear the sins of the world. He must endure separation from the Father’s love. … Christ might deliver Himself from the dreadful future by acknowledging the supremacy of Satan. But to do this was to yield the victory in the great controversy. It was in seeking to exalt himself above the Son of God that Satan had sinned in heaven. Should he prevail now, it would be the triumph of rebellion.” The Desire of Ages, 129

This last temptation was the most alluring of the three because Satan was offering Jesus a way out. No Gethsemane, no Calvary. Just an admission that He and God had been wrong when they threw him and his followers out of heaven. An acknowledgement that he was worthy of the praise and worship that he so craved, worthy of a seat next to the throne of God. It was just a simple thing.

“ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” Matthew 4:10, last part

Jesus “who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2

What is this joy? That His love for us is returned, that we accept His salvation, and offer Him His rightful place in our hearts.

Never let it be said of us that “Christ pleaded, He invited; but His love was unrequited by the people He came to save.” Testimonies, Vol. 4, 189

Let us be part of the few in this world who go up the narrow road that leads to everlasting life and show to our Saviour the love that He has shown to us.

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

The Hadza Tribe and Microbiome Health

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In the June issue of LandMarks, we explored just the surface facts of our microbiome. We learned that it is simply a bustling community of microbes on and within the body that significantly influences the body’s overall wellbeing.

Bacteria are by far the most numerous members of the human microbiome estimated to be between 75–200 trillion individual organisms, while the entire human body consists of about 50 trillion–100 trillion body cells. The area that contains the largest amount of microbiota is the intestinal area, especially the large intestine. Five hundred to 1,000 different species of bacteria may live in the intestine, totaling at least 38 trillion cells. It is said by some that if you could only focus on one aspect of health it should be gut health.

Did you know? Over half of the cells in your body are not even human cells.

We also learned that the microbiota interact with almost every body system, and that the gut microbiome has been called the “second brain” because it interacts so closely with our brain, brain chemistry, and its many functions. The microbiome is very active in the metabolism of our food. Chronic and infectious disease risks are also affected by our microbiome. The gut also is intimately connected to our immune system—70% to 80% of the immune system is in the gut.

We also know that our microbiome affects our mood and behavior. Digestion, sleep, immune health, brain function, mental health, metabolism and cardiovascular health are closely linked to the microbiome, emphasizing its importance in maintaining a healthy living human. The microbiome may help prevent or help fight some forms of cancer, and help prevent or treat some forms of dementia.

Given the importance of a healthy microbiome on the wellbeing of the human body, our question should be, How do I help my gut have a healthy, diverse group of microbiota? To help answer this question, let me share with you the very interesting findings of cultural and health studies of two groups of people, the Hadza tribe from Tanzania and the Yanomami tribe from Venezuela, some of the last hunter-gatherers on our planet.

Approximately 200 of the Hadza tribe stick to a strictly nomadic, hunter-gatherer lifestyle. They survive on foraged plants and animals hunted with handmade bows and arrows and live in temporary grass and stick shelters. It’s believed that the Hadza people have some of the healthiest gut microbiomes on the planet. Their diet consists of about 70% plant foods including tubers that contain a range of indigestible fibers that are ideal gut fuel. They get a huge 150 grams of fiber per day. This results in the Hadza having a greater variety of gut microbes than that of 17 other cultures around the world. Most Americans get just 10-15 grams of fiber per day. The Hadza have about 40% more microbial biodiversity in their gut than Americans. This exceptionally high fiber intake seems to be a main contributor to their very healthy gut microbiomes—fiber is fuel for your gut microbes, allowing them to multiply and produce health-promoting compounds.

Getting fiber from a variety of plants helps to create microbial diversity. Research from 2018 found that people who ate more than 30 different plant types per week had a healthier gut microbiome than those who ate fewer plant types. Our focus should be to eat more whole, fiber-rich plant foods such as leafy greens, berries, cruciferous veggies (broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, to name a few), Jerusalem artichoke, avocado, beans, and lentils. Sautés and salads are an excellent way to get many different plant foods into a single meal.

Another contributing factor to the Hadza people’s healthiest, most diverse gut microbiomes is that their food source is natural, with no processed foods or agriculturally farmed foods, high in fiber and phytochemicals, and devoid of processed sugars, all of which contribute to the fact that the Hadza experience almost no autoimmune diseases, obesity, diabetes, colon cancer, Crohn’s disease, and other chronic ailments. This is very unlike our modern Western diets which are often low in fiber and phytochemicals, and high in refined carbohydrates, processed foods, unhealthy fats, and contain high levels of sugar.

A third factor in the robust and healthy gut microbiomes of the Hadza people is that they do not live in “sterile environments.” They don’t just admire nature, but interact with it. They are in constant contact with the earth, walking barefoot, working or digging in the ground and with animals when they hunt. So we can increase our contact with our environment by growing indoor and outdoor plants, tending gardens, and through being outside with our families and pets.

A similar study was conducted in Venezuela with the Yanomami tribe. It was found that they had a 50% greater microbial diversity than the average American. They too were hunter-gatherers with a diet high in plant foods. So it seems that the farther away a person’s diet gets from our modern western diet, the more diverse the range of microbes in our intestines. This includes a number of bacteria that are completely missing from the modern American gut. Clearly, a person’s diet plays a major role in the gut microbiome.

The modern Western diet is largely deficient in fiber and high in processed junk, fat, refined sugars, and refined carbohydrates. The research strongly suggests that this diet is effectively wiping out many bacterial species from our digestive tracts.

Surprisingly, the Hadza microbiome fluctuated over the course of the year depending upon the specific season of the year. During the long dry periods, the Hadza people eat considerably more meat, much like a Westerner. Some species of bacteria prevalent during the wet seasons disappeared or their numbers fell to an undetectable level, similar to that seen when analyzing the Western microbiome. During the wet seasons, these missing microbes return.

So cutting the amount of fat, processed food, processed carbohydrates and processed sugars, and having a high fiber diet and interacting with the natural environment may be the vital keys to having a healthy, diverse microbiome that greatly improves the overall health of the microbiome, body and mind.

Sources: vitalplan.com/blogs/blog/the-6-secrets-of-the-hadza-tribe-what-we-can-learn-about-health-and-longevity; ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK154100; Britannica.com/science/human-microbiome#Overview

Friends in the Sky

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Nature! Open the door, step outside, and you’re in it, except that just what you’re in will depend on where you live. And that will determine what you see—that is, during the daytime. When the shades of night fall, if one can escape the bright city lights, it suddenly doesn’t matter whether the countryside is desolate or lush, humdrum or impressive. Upon gazing upward on a crisp, clear night one cannot but realize that words are inadequate to describe the grandeur of the stars, constellations, moon, and planets in the heavens above us.

But what do you see? And what do you hear? Do you have just a hazy, impressionistic idea of what is really up there or do you have a positive, distinct appreciation of the heavenly bodies? Do they speak to you in a language you can understand? Do you enjoy astronomy for the delight it really is, even if you don’t have a telescope or binoculars?

Star Friends

There is certainly a benefit to making friends with the stars and planets. They will always be there, wherever you are, and there is more to astronomy than just learning facts about this or that star or planet. They have their lessons for us as well, talking to us even though “there is no speech nor language.”

The stars, for instance, teach us the constancy and upholding power of their Creator. On a clear, moonless night, there are about 2,000 stars visible to the naked eye, all keeping their places, whether the North Star, the Big Dipper pointing to it, or the Southern Cross for those “down under.” By simple obedience to the laws of the universe, they maintain their appointed positions, shedding their light to gladden worlds without number.

As the earth rotates beneath these stars, they appear to curve through the sky in circles, completing their paths each 24 hours (really 23 hours and 56 minutes). This becomes obvious when one faces north. The North Star stays stationary, and should you watch for several hours you would see all the rest of the stars and constellations rotate in circles around it. As you take note of stars more and more directly overhead (and thus farther and farther southward), you find that they make bigger and bigger circles, until these circles start dipping below the northern terrain and start rising and setting like the sun.

As you continue to lift your gaze farther aloft, you find that the stars you are looking at rise and set farther and farther south on the horizon, until you get to those on the celestial equator which passes directly over our earth’s equator. By now, you had better either turn around, or have a very supple neck, because these stars pass to the south of those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere, though they rise due east and set due west.

All the stars will always rise, pass over, and set in exactly the same place, but will rise and set at different times depending on the season of the year. Accordingly, we look for Orion during wintertime, because during that time of year it rises and is up in the sky during the night. Orion is still there during the summer, but it rises and sets with the sun, and therefore cannot be seen above the brightness of a summer day.

Our Creator must have been trying to tell us something about Himself when He said, “Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power; not one is missing.” Isaiah 40:26

Planet Friends

Wandering among the stationary* stars, we find the five visible planets, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, as well as the Sun. Though these by no means stay in the same place, they do teach us about keeping appointments because that is what they do. The appointment book in this case is the almanac, which tells you (not them) when and where to look for each one. If you know this, you can keep your end of the appointment by being there to look for each planet as it appears. As the planets and the sun move through the heavens, wandering among the stars, they all follow one common line called the ecliptic. If you go out at the same time on successive nights, you can note their movement along this line. Mercury and Venus remain close to the sun, traveling with it over the course of the year. Depending on their relative positions, they will always be seen just before sunrise or just after sunset, as morning or evening stars. On the other hand, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn travel in their own way and at their own rate and may happen to be visible at any time during the night. The fact that they are all along one line is also very helpful in finding these heavenly bodies that do not twinkle as the stars do. …

Why not make friends with the stars and planets? Watch them. Listen to them. By the way, April should be a nice time to see the planets in the morning. During the last week of the month get up early and step out into a spring dawn. If you have a low enough eastern horizon, you will see Venus, the morning star, just above it. Then as you follow the line of the ecliptic which slants sharply to your right, if the sky is still dark enough, you may be able to see Mercury, then Mars, and lastly Saturn overhead, all these planets keeping their appointments. Will you keep yours? Mark your calendar, step outside and look up. Why have only anacquaintance, with the heavens. Stop to listen, and continue to make friends in the sky.

What though in solemn silence all

Move round the dark terrestrial ball?

What though no real voice nor sound

Amid their radiant orbs be found?

In reason’s ear they all rejoice

And utter forth a glorious voice,

Forever singing as they shine,

The Hand That Made Us Is Divine —                          Joseph Addison, 1712

 

*Although we say stars are stationary, they really do move slowly both in relation to each other and to our view on earth as a whole.

From The Journal of Health and Healing, Vol. 15, No. 3, Mark Chuljian, CTL, HEW, 28, 29

I Love You

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From the moment we officially started dating until the day of his death, my husband Roger would tell me or call to tell me he loved me many times a day. He would say, “Have I told you yet today that I love you?” My response was always, “Yes, but you can tell me again.” I imagine that this type of exchange happens quite often between spouses, in many homes every day.

My mother would write me letters or end our phone conversations with, “I love you, Judy, but God loves you more.”

And my mother was right. Just like Roger’s oft-repeated words of love and my mother’s entreaties, God has shown me every day, in multiple ways, just how much He loves me. In the good times and the bad, even in the times when I had no interest in Him, His eye stayed focused on me, His love never wavering.

“Wherever we turn, we hear the voice of God and behold His handiwork. From the solemn roll of the deep-toned thunder and old ocean’s ceaseless roar, to the glad songs that make the forests vocal with melody, nature’s ten thousand voices speak His praise. In earth and sea and sky, with their marvelous tint and color, varying in gorgeous contrast or blended in harmony, we behold His glory. The everlasting hills tell of His power. The trees that wave their green banners in the sunlight, and the flowers in their delicate beauty, point to their Creator. The living green that carpets the brown earth tells of God’s care for the humblest of His creatures. The caves of the sea and the depths of the earth reveal His treasures. He who placed the pearls in the ocean and the amethyst and chrysolite among the rocks is a lover of the beautiful. The sun rising in the heavens is a representative of Him who is the life and light of all that He has made. All the brightness and beauty that adorn the earth and light up the heavens speak of God.

“Shall we, then, in the enjoyment of His gifts, forget the Giver? Let them rather lead us to contemplate His goodness and His love. Let all that is beautiful in our earthly home remind us of the crystal river and green fields, the waving trees and living fountains, the shining city and the white-robed singers, of our heavenly home—that world of beauty which no artist can picture, no mortal tongue describe. ‘Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.’ 1 Corinthians 2:9.” Child Guidance, 53, 54

“ ‘I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.’ John 17:23. It seems almost too good to believe that the Father can and does love any member of the human family as He loves His Son. But we have the assurance that He does, and this assurance should bring joy to every heart, awakening the highest reverence, and calling forth unspeakable gratitude. God’s love is not uncertain and unreal, but a living reality.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 18, 332

“All that is good and lovely and beautiful in this world speaks to [us] of the love of our heavenly Father. The character of God [we] may discern in His created works.”
Child Guidance, 54

Work to Show Christ to the World

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We hear much talk about faith. We want faith that amounts to something. What we need is faith that works. And how does it work? By love. And what does it do? It purifies, sanctifies, the soul. As we look to the cross erected on Calvary, love takes possession of the soul. It brings the will of man into subjection to God. “If ye love Me, keep My commandments.” These words are from the lips of the divine Teacher, and He further promises, “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless” (John 14:15–18).

Do you believe it? I do, and I believe it because I have the evidence in me, the sure promise of One who is Truth. I have no right to be comfortless in this world, for it [this world] needs light. Neither have you. All should be where they can lay hold of Him by living faith. When Christ was upon earth, the people flocked to Him and were comforted in His presence. After He ascended, He fulfilled His promise. He sends the Comforter to be with every believing, obedient child, wherever he may be.

We ought to be the most happy people in the world, because He is all in all to us. He has told us He would be a counselor, guide, strength, support and a tender, sympathizing friend. He is everything we need, the first, last, and best in everything. We want to praise Him in the morning, at noon, and at night; ever having the door of our hearts open and inviting Jesus to come and there abide. “If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make Our abode with him” (John 14:23). …

There is work for everyone to do for Jesus. How many take into account the record of our works kept in the books in heaven? How many feel the responsibility of perishing souls? How many come into close connection with Jesus and sense the need of forming a perfect character after the likeness of Christ? This character is not to be dropped upon you by and by from heaven, but it is to be developed here. …

The present time is our day, our opportunity to work. We are not to live for self. It is of the highest consequence to us that we improve our opportunities and privileges to be honored as laborers together with God. Time is precious, and should be filled with earnest work, the worker constantly improving.

Jesus knew our danger. He tells us in John 15:16, “Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it you.” He ordains that you individually shall bear fruit.

Do you walk humbly before Him? Have you a cherishing of inward sins, heartburnings against any? Are you seeking God with all your heart? Now, we can bear to be separated from everything else but the Spirit of God. We want the inspiration of the cross, making us to fall helpless, and the Lord will lift us up. Christ prayed not that His followers should be taken out of the world, but that they might be kept from the evil that is in the world. We can go through the world as did Enoch. The world was then no more favorable for the formation of Christian character than it is in our time. …

Will you not from this very day try to represent Christ to the world? You will have a refuge. You will be sunny Christians. We have been gloomy long enough. Had we not better come out of the cave, stand with God, and we will have Christ with us so that we can talk of redemption as did the disciples when they had been with Jesus and learned of Him.

Carry the light of Jesus. Carry it to your neighbors. When we bring Christ into our experience, there will be a loving of one another, there will be an unlocking of the hardest hearts. God can take a worm and thrash a mountain. If we humble ourselves and have His converting power every moment, His righteousness will be our covering. “Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; and the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward” (Isaiah 58:8). Sermons and Talks, Vol. 2, 93–98

Story – A Place in Your Heart

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Miss Ames, Becky’s Sabbath school teacher, had told the children in her class about Jesus. She showed them a picture of Jesus knocking at a door. The door didn’t have a latch or doorknob on the outside. That meant it had to be opened from the inside by the people who lived in the house.

Miss Ames told the children Jesus knocks at their heart’s door in the same way. Then she said that no matter how young they were, they could invite Jesus to come and live in their hearts.

Many of the boys and girls did this. Becky asked Jesus to come into her heart, too.

Yet, because she was so very young, she didn’t quite understand how this could be.

She decided she would ask Daddy. He always explained things so well.

“So that’s what has been troubling you,” Daddy said as he lifted Becky into his lap. “Well, let’s think of it this way. Do you remember when Aunt Grace and Uncle Tom adopted little Tommy?”

Becky nodded.

“Do you remember when we visited them a few months later?”

Becky nodded again.

“One of the first things Aunt Grace said was, ‘We don’t know what we would do without him. He has certainly made a big place for himself in our hearts.’ Now that didn’t mean that Timmy had crawled inside of Aunt Grace’s heart, did it?”

Becky shook her head. She was beginning to understand.

“Then what do you think it meant?”

Becky thought for a while. Then she said, “I think it meant that they loved him a whole lot.”

“That’s right,” Daddy said. “Now this question, do I have a place in your heart, Becky?”

Becky snuggled close to her Daddy.

“You know you do,” she said. Then looking at him slyly, she asked, “And do I have a place in your heart, Daddy?”

“You know you do,” Daddy told her. “You and the Lord Jesus, too.”

Have you ever wondered what it meant to give your heart to Jesus? Have you wondered what it meant to have Him come into your heart? Now you know it really means that you love Him very much.

When Jesus comes into your life, He has an important place in your heart.

“That Christ may live in your hearts by faith [believing love].” Ephesians 3:17

“God has sent the Spirit of His Son into your hearts.” Galatians 4:6

Dear Father above, once again we thank You for sending Your Son to live in our hearts. Keep our hearts clean and pure for Him. In His name we pray. Amen.

Happy Moments With God, Margaret J. Anderson, ©1962, 13, 14

Take Heed Lest You Fall

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“Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”

1 Corinthians 10:12

Revelation 2 and 3 describe the characteristics of the seven churches that represent the different time periods from the apostolic church through the end of time. To some of the churches, God spoke not one negative thing against the church, but when He came to the Laodicean church—the end-time church—His message was severe. This last church had a special tendency to feel over-confident about themselves. After all, they had the “truth,” more light than the churches in ages past. They were God’s people. However, John the Beloved records God’s rebuke of the Laodiceans.

“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.  So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.” Revelation 3:15–19

John follows this rebuke with words of hope from God. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” Verses 20, 21

Those who made up the Laodicean church were confident that they were God’s people, that they were rich, and in need of nothing. But God tells them that they are really wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. Then He offers them just what they need: gold refined in the fire (a perfected character), white garments (forgiveness), and eye salve (clarity to see their true condition and need).

It is the devil’s determined effort to “help” people to feel secure and satisfied, and it appears, in the case of this church, that he has been quite successful. However, the purpose of the Laodicean message is to shake the people out of their stupor.

Paul describes himself as the chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). His day-to-day effort was to keep himself under subjection to the will of God (1 Corinthians 9:27). “Forgetting those things which are behind, I press forward to those things which are ahead.” Philippians 3:13. He offers this warning to all who might think they are rich and need nothing, “Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” 1 Corinthians 10:12

When people believe they have the truth, are attending the right church, claiming to be saved, and planning to stand with the saved, it is easy to feel pretty good about themselves. But Paul warns that this is the very time that we should pay attention, because that is when we most likely need help.

“Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’ ” Revelation 6:14–17

Most of the people described in these texts are those who are standing or once stood, and claimed to be saved. But now they are crying for the mountains and rocks to bury them for they cannot stand to see Jesus’ face. Who was able to stand then? “Only he who has clean hands and a pure heart.” Psalm 24:4, first part. Only he in whose “mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.” Revelation 14:5

Sometimes, the Lord will send someone to us with a message—like Noah before the flood, Elijah on Mount Carmel, Jonah to Nineveh—and we may turn away from them because we think they don’t have the right spirit, or they don’t say or do it right.

Imagine the people swimming around the ark really wishing they could be safe inside. All of the excuses they had given, all the jeering at Noah or claiming that he was too harsh and negative, seemed pretty feeble, I’m sure. They all had their reasons for rejecting the message Noah gave, but none of those mattered; they were still on the outside, destined to die.

God has given to us the work of winning souls for His kingdom. But before we can help others to accept Jesus as their Saviour, we must first be confident that we ourselves are firmly grounded in the truth. Like the mighty oak—its roots thrust deeply into the ground—is able to withstand a storm, we are to thrust our faith deeply in the Saviour. As Jesus told in the parable of the seed sower, if we allow anything to crowd out His words, then we are not solidly grounded in truth. Jesus has promised the grace needed to live and grow in this world, and then to receive eternal life.

My faith must be secure in my Saviour. I must be growing more day by day into the image of Him who made me and saved me. I am not standing secure if I have not grown over the last month, the last six months, the last year. If I am still losing my temper as I was a year ago, I am on shaky ground. If I am still impatient and irritable, if I continue to fall over the same old sins time and time again, then I am not rooted and grounded in Jesus Christ. Before I can do the work that God has laid out for me to do, I must fall on the Rock and be broken. Only then can I be successful in the personal work of overcoming.

Our work is to plant seeds all around us—with our spouse, our children, our church members, a coworker, the person on the street—they all need to know that Jesus is able to supply the grace needed to live for Him, and that He has promised the free gift of eternal life to all who accomplish it.

A time of shaking is coming for everyone who claims the name of Christian. But regardless of what some claim, if they have not been, and are not now growing, then he or she will be shaken out of the faith. In light of this tremendous shaking that no man can escape, we should ask ourselves, Is there anything that could make me turn away from the Lord? Perhaps sickness, death, discouragement, finances, or poverty? Prosperity and worldly recognition and fame? Lack of friends or good friends turning against you, rumors, or slander? Can your hold on the Lord be shaken free? We may have a great deal more confidence in ourselves than the Lord does, for He can see things in us that we cannot see or that we just tend to ignore. Remember, we are Laodicean, confident of our salvation, yet lacking what we truly need to be saved—gold tried in the fire, white raiment, and eye salve. Satan is fervently working to shake us free from Jesus, and if we are not firmly grounded in Him, Satan will succeed, and we will be lost. It will be too late then to become rooted. We have been given this time and the grace, right now, to overcome our besetting sins.

In 1 Corinthians 10:1–11, Paul describes the experience of the children of Israel. “Brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized.” Verses 1, 2

The children of Israel were set apart. They ate spiritual food, listened to Moses, Aaron, and Joshua day after day, they heard the thunder from Mt. Sinai. They drank spiritual drink—and the literal, pure water from the rock that represented Jesus. They ate heaven’s food, food that had such perfect nutrition they were never sick during all their wilderness journey. Their minds were keen and clear, able to be filled with spiritual thoughts. They could pray clearly. They had fresh air, exercise, perfect food, pure water. They saw, heard, tasted, and lived it all, but what has Paul written about them?

“But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, ‘The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.’ Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; nor complain [murmur], as some of them also complained [murmured], and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” Verses 5–11

The devil had a whole arsenal of temptations. And while some would be unsuccessful against you or me, they would bring a complete downfall in another. Some were caught up in games and playing, others in lusting after things that God said they shouldn’t desire. Some were consumed with sexual fantasies and immorality, and others lacked faith.

Israel had the truth. There was no doubt in their minds that they were the children of Abraham, God’s chosen people. They kept the Sabbath day, and worshiped Jehovah. They had the gift of prophecy and they had seen the miracles that God had performed on their behalf. They were standing on truth, and they were going to Canaan. Just like us. But sadly, in spite of all this confidence, only two entered the promised land.

Paul says, “These things were written for our admonition on whom the ends of the world are come.” I believe with all my heart, just as much as the children of Israel believed, that the Seventh-day Adventist church is the movement that God raised up for the last days. I believe that it presents the truth for the world today. God gave us the Spirit of Prophecy, and the ability for us to continue learning truth through it and the Bible. We have the Sabbath, His day of rest. The prophecies tell us what to expect in the near future and we can see prophetic events fulfilled and fulfilling all around us. Miracles are performed for individuals, and also on a much larger scale. There can be no question that God’s church will go through to eternity. But have you ever wondered, When God’s church goes through to eternity, will I be going with it? The children of Israel were confident they soon would be living in Canaan and continuing to receive the blessings of God as His chosen people, only to discover that just two of the congregation that left Egypt would go in. Sobering thought, isn’t it?

This is a warning that the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy offer many times. “I 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.

“I was pointed back to ancient Israel. But two of the adults of the vast army that left Egypt entered the land of Canaan. Their dead bodies were strewn in the wilderness because of their transgressions. Modern Israel are in greater danger of forgetting God and being led into idolatry than were His ancient people. …

“A blessing or a curse is now before the people of God—a blessing if they come out from the world and are separate, and walk in the path of humble obedience; and a curse if they unite with the idolatrous, who trample upon the high claims of heaven. The sins and iniquities of rebellious Israel are recorded and the picture presented before us as a warning that if we imitate their example of transgression and depart from God, we shall fall as surely as did they.” Testimonies, Vol. 1, 608, 609

We find a similar warning in Testimonies, Vol. 2, 401, 402: “The Lord is proving and testing His people. Angels of God are watching the development of character and weighing moral worth. Probation is almost ended, and you are unready. Oh, that the word of warning might burn into your souls! Get ready! Get ready! Work while the day lasts, for the night cometh when no man can work. The mandate will go forth: He that is holy, let him be holy still; and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still. The destiny of all will be decided. A few, yes, only a few, of the vast number who people the earth will be saved unto life eternal, while the masses who have not perfected their souls in obeying the truth will be appointed to the second death. O Saviour, save the purchase of Thy blood! is the cry of my anguished heart.”

God has a specific message to His people found in the experience of the Laodicean church and throughout the Bible. It is not enough to know and keep the letter of the law. My heart must be changed and God’s law written on it. In no other way can our hearts be transformed. As Christ’s life was the embodiment of the law, so it must be with us if we are to be saved. We must grow to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. We must overcome our besetting sins, having an individual and personal work of gaining experience with Jesus, becoming more and more like Him with each passing day, and being clothed with His robe of righteousness. We cannot go on day after day, week after week, year after year falling, falling, falling. No, dear friend, we must be overcomers. I am so thankful we have an Advocate who forgives our sins when we fall, but God wants more than forgiven sinners; He wants overcomers, and He is willing and able to help those who surrender their wills to Him to accomplish it.

It is human nature to look to man to be our standard for righteousness. A pastor, teacher, or parent might seem to be the perfect example of obedience. But there isn’t a single human being alive today, nor one who has lived and now is gone, who can be a perfect example of obedience, except Jesus Christ. It is His life that we are to emulate. Jesus lived in the world, but was not part of it, and we are admonished to live the same way.

“I was shown our danger, as a people, [is] becoming assimilated to the world rather than to the image of Christ. We are now upon the very borders of the eternal world, but it is the purpose of the adversary of souls to lead us to put far off the close of time. Satan will in every conceivable manner assail those who profess to be the commandment-keeping people of God and to be waiting for the second appearing of our Saviour in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. He will lead as many as possible to put off the evil day and become in spirit like the world, imitating its customs. I felt alarmed as I saw that the spirit of the world was controlling the hearts and minds of many who make a high profession of the truth. Selfishness and self-indulgence are cherished by them, but true godliness and sterling integrity are not cultivated.” Counsels for the Church (1991), 83

“And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.’ Therefore ‘Come out from among them and be separate,’ says the Lord. ‘Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.’ ” 2 Corinthians 6:15–18

We are either all for God or, eventually, we will be all for Satan.

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

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

“Many are quieting a troubled conscience with the thought that they can change a course of evil when they choose; that they can trifle with the invitations of mercy, and yet be again and again impressed. They think that after doing despite to the Spirit of grace, after casting their influence on the side of Satan, in a moment of terrible extremity they can change their course. But this is not so easily done. The experience, the education, of a lifetime, has so thoroughly molded the character that few then desire to receive the image of Jesus.

“Even one wrong trait of character, one sinful desire, persistently cherished, will eventually neutralize all the power of the gospel. Every sinful indulgence strengthens the soul’s aversion to God.” Steps to Christ, 32–34

As you look at your life, is there something that the Holy Spirit has at least once convicted you of? Is there something you are holding onto? Something, unless you overcome it, that will eventually destroy you and cost you eternal life? It may be that you are not practicing it, but you still cherish it in your heart. It must be removed from your heart as well as your actions. You must overcome it, or it will surely, in time, overcome you.

“You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9

The Lord is calling each of us to live on a higher plane than just nominal Christianity. He is calling us to be doers of the word and not just hearers, clothed with the robe of Christ’s righteousness. He is calling us to be separate from the world, to have pure thoughts, and to have the love of Jesus in our hearts. We must develop Christ’s character, having no guile in our mouths, and being able to stand without fault before the throne of God.

Take heed, dear friends, lest we fall.

Pastor Marshall Grosboll, with his wife Lillian, founded Steps to Life. In July 1991, Pastor Marshall and his family met with tragedy as they were returning home from a camp meeting in Washington State, when the airplane he was piloting went down, killing all on board.

God’s Way in Difficulty

by

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Psalm 46:1

“ ‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.’ ”
Isaiah 55:8, 9

It would seem then, that if we are not in harmony with God’s ways, one of us will have to change if we are going to be together. Which do you suppose is the one to change?

So this is the question for each of us, “Am I willing to be changed so that I will think and do as God thinks and does?

Escape from Egypt

David was thinking specifically of the Red Sea experience when he said: “Your way was in the sea, Your path in the great waters, and Your footsteps were not known. You led Your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.” Psalm 77:19, 20

When we study the geography of the path that the children of Israel took when they left Egypt, we see that they were guided by God in the pillar of cloud on a course which never would have taken them to the Red Sea at all.

Following a straight line out of Egypt would have led them on a path above the Red Sea, but after they had traveled a short distance from Egypt, God deliberately changed their course, angling them back by a round-about road to the Red Sea. Many, maybe even Moses himself, must have wondered why God was leading them in such a circuitous route. Then, they found themselves hemmed in by mountains on each side, the sea in front of them, and an army of angry Egyptians close behind.

There were two problems as the Israelites camped there on the seashore. One was the sea in front of them, a seemingly impassible barrier. The other, was the Egyptian army behind them, an enemy that they believed they could not defeat. God’s path went right through this impassible barrier to strengthen the faith of the Israelites, and then used it as a graveyard for the seemingly-unconquerable enemy. Upon reaching the far side, the children of Israel sang the song of victory to God found in Psalm 77. Did Israel understand what God intended to do? No. Why? If they had known it would not have been a test of their faith. Did the Egyptians know what God was going to do? Of course not. If they had, they would not have followed. So, even though neither God’s chosen nor His enemies understood His plan, He had one. A miraculous plan that despite the difficulty, provided the way to freedom.

“Are You not the One who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep; that made the depths of the sea a road for the redeemed to cross over?” Isaiah 51:10

“I will make each of My mountains a road, and My highways shall be elevated.” Isaiah 49:11

All across this country, engineers annually spend thousands of hours and millions of dollars plotting highways that avoid mountains and other geographical obstacles as much as possible. But God says through the prophet Isaiah that He will use the most impossible situations, the most impassible barriers, and make them highways on which His remnant people may travel to victory. It may be an impassible sea or an ocean that stretches out before us, or the walls of a high mountain range that seem to defy scaling. God says to us, “Follow My providence and I will make a way for you.” If we will believe, it will make us utterly immune to discouragement. And He backs that promise by giving us examples of His faithfulness.

“All these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” 1 Corinthians 10:11

“Our heavenly Father has a thousand ways to provide for us of which we know nothing.” The Ministry of Healing, 481

“Jesus sees the end from the beginning. In every difficulty He has His way prepared to bring relief.” The Desire of Ages, 330

So let me ask, is it worthwhile to experience difficulty so that we can know that God provides the way out and through? The way out of Egypt was through the Red Sea. As the children of Israel stood, looking back in fear at the advancing Egyptian army, God parted the water and made a way for over a million people, their livestock, and all their possessions—on dry land, mind you—to reach the other side before allowing the water to return on its course burying their enemy behind them.

Yes, friends, our heavenly Father has a multitude of ways for providing for us that we know nothing about and would likely be unable to comprehend even if we knew them. If we will accept the principle of making the service of God supreme, we will find that perplexities will vanish and there will be a plain path before our feet.

Since we have this assurance, we need not lament the difficulties we encounter in this life, but rather we must look for God’s solutions. Moses didn’t know at first what to do. But he had learned to wait on the Lord to see how He would use the circumstances as they existed. So he called upon God, and then told the people to stand still and see the salvation of God (Exodus 14:13, 14). And presently, God instructed Moses to stretch his rod out over the sea, and it opened up.

“We should seize upon circumstances as instruments by which to work.” The Ministry of Healing, 500. Many would have looked at this situation and seen nothing with which to work. There was no bridge, no boats, no logical way to get across. It appeared to man as hopeless. And he would be right without the promise of God to help His people. We are hopelessly lost, and there is no way possible for us to overcome the difficulties of this life on our own. But Moses looked to God and obeyed His direction, and the difficulty itself became the way of escape. In this same way, every difficulty we may encounter, God has a way prepared to bring relief.

“Press with determination in the right direction, and circumstances will be your helpers, not your hindrances.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 332

The Red Sea, the mountains, the Egyptians were all hindrances, but God led the children of Israel to the one place where those hindrances would become a helper to His people, and He will do the same for us. So, if we find ourselves in a difficult situation, rather than weeping and moaning and saying, “O Lord, why did You ever let me get into this situation?” say, “Dear Lord, I don’t know what Your purpose is, but I know You will make something wonderful out of this. Show me what I must do.”

Standing on the shore of the Red Sea there wasn’t much that the children of Israel could do but show their faith in God’s promise by simply stepping into the water. It wasn’t much, just that one step forward, but it was important for them to show their faith. In that one step they committed to doing the impossible. This is righteousness by faith, and by obedience to God and faith in His promise, they achieved the impossible.

We cannot lie down on a bed or sit in a chair waiting and hoping that someday by some strange, unusual miracle we will wake up and find that we are all ready for heaven. We are to ask Jesus to help us to take hold of a situation as it is, and, by faith, carry out His commands confident that He will help us. We will never find ourselves in any situation but that Jesus has already made arrangements to use it for our good and His glory. We must seize the circumstances as instruments with which to work, and then press with determination in the right direction, and then the circumstances become our helpers, not our hindrances.

The Mighty, Raging River

Some time ago, I was riding along the Frazier River in western Canada. As we drew near the end of our journey, we would have to cross the river, but the Frazier River is a mighty, roaring stream, and there was no motor boat, canoe, or sailboat that could cross it. But there was a way, and the very current of that river, strong and mighty as it was, was the way across.

The way across the Frazier River was by ferry. The ferry is not powered by a gasoline motor, steam engine, or electricity. The ferry runs by the power of the river itself. By a specific arrangement of cables and wheels strung high above the river, this barrier that stands between you and the other side, has been harnessed to take you across. A cable reaches from one side to the other while another cable secures the ferry to the cable above, keeping the ferry from being swept downstream. But still, how does the ferry get across?

Two levers on the ferry control two great paddles, one on each side of the ferry. With these paddles, the pilot is able to direct the ferry to one side of the river and back again. Depending on which paddle you let down into the river, the very pressure of that water as it roars down the river against the paddle turns the ferry in the direction to go across. Raising that paddle and letting down the other allows the ferry to return to the opposite side.

Man has seized upon circumstances as instruments with which to work and thus accomplishes his purpose. The obstacle that the river creates is solved by harnessing its power and using it to the needed end. What a lesson. Instead of allowing the raging river to be an obstacle, a way was found to use the obstacle—the river—to help them cross it, no matter how impossible it appeared to be.

So, whatever difficulty I encounter in my life I don’t stand there weeping, I don’t look back at where I’ve been; I look to Jesus with a faith that just knows something wonderful will come of it. I must learn that the solutions to my difficulties today are not found in my past or even in my future. What I need today to face this life is the guiding hand of my Lord and Saviour. Only He can give me sense enough to learn how to seize upon circumstances as instruments with which to work.

Experiences in Faith

When the three Hebrews were standing on the threshold of the fiery furnace they didn’t know what God was going to do, but they knew He had said, “Those who honor Me, I will honor.” (1 Samuel 2:30, last part). They determined to take God at His word and to be true to Him whether they lived or died in that furnace. But God took that furnace and used it to destroy those who threw them into the furnace, and the ropes that bound them. He used the circumstances to liberate the Hebrew young men and to bring conviction to the king of Babylon, who, after a number of other experiences, was finally converted (Daniel 4:34–37).

The men in authority in Darius’ Persia hated Daniel. So, they schemed against him by making a law that prohibited everyone from praying to anyone but the king. They made the law because they knew Daniel would be faithful in praying to God, and would not pray to the king; and they were right. Daniel kept right on praying to his God three times a day facing toward Jerusalem (Daniel 6). As a result, Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den. Daniel obeyed God rather than men, and the lions didn’t hurt him. And God used Daniel’s difficulty as the instrument by which God destroyed all the men who had plotted against Daniel.

Haman was one of Satan’s wicked servants plotting against the people of God. He planned to harm the Jews and hang Mordecai. He had already prepared a gallows on which to hang him. But God used Esther as a solution to this difficulty, and it was Haman who was hanged on the gallows rather than Mordecai. We find many examples in the Bible of God using circumstances to bring about solutions.

God keeps His promise to help His children, but sometimes He also allows them to suffer. During the Dark Ages, millions of people were martyred for their faith, but not because God had forgotten or forsaken them, nor because this principle failed. Every one of the souls who went down in death won more people by their death than they would have by their life. And in the kingdom of God they will be able to see the harvest that their death produced and will clap their hands for joy that their witness in death was used to testify to the power and the love of Jesus and to the strength of His law.

Friends, there is nothing—nothing—that stands in the way of the man who is devoted to God. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1, 2

Faith Fosters a Solution

One of our students at Wildwood, a young lady from Nicaragua whom I will call “Mary,” had some experiences in which the Lord had used her while she still lived in Nicaragua. Mary was the only Seventh-day Adventist in her family, and in Nicaragua a great majority of the people are members of the Roman Catholic Church, as it is in many Latin American countries. But the Lord blessed Mary with some precious experiences in standing—sometimes completely alone—for truth.

Mary decided to take a three-year secretarial course at a Catholic college in Nicaragua. During the last three months of the course study, a group of priests came to the college. There was a strong Catholic influence as all the teachers and the three hundred students were Catholic, except for Mary. She was the only non-Catholic.

The time soon came when all the young people were expected to give confession to the priests, but Mary did not go. The headmistress of the college called her to her office and asked her why she wasn’t a Catholic. Mary answered that she was very happy as a member of the Seventh-day Adventist church. The headmistress suggested to Mary that if she would become a Catholic her parents would not have to know. But Mary told her that she could not lie because whatever she did must be in harmony with truth, so she would not do what the headmistress suggested.

One day Mary went to class and discovered that final exams for all of her subjects were scheduled on three different Sabbaths. She went to the dean of the college, and told him that she was a Seventh-day Adventist and would not be able to take her exams on the Sabbath. The dean said that he could not change the schedule. Mary went home and told her aunt and uncle and they prayed together for the Lord’s help.

The next day Mary went to the pastor of the church and asked for his counsel. He told her the decision was entirely up to her as a matter of conscience. So she very earnestly prayed asking God to solve this problem for her so that she might remain true and faithful to Him.

The Sabbath for Mary’s final exam in bookkeeping came, but, as was her custom, she went to church just like Jesus did. When she got home, she found, to her great surprise, a group of her classmates waiting for her. They were very happy to tell her that there had been no exams that day because the people in charge of administering them had gotten drunk the night before and were unable to give them. So, her exam that had been scheduled for that Sabbath had been postponed until the next day, Sunday.

Being so upset about how things seemed to be working out, Mary had not been able to study much, but this news gave her courage and she studied late into the night to be ready for the next day’s exam. As she began the exam, she found that she was not nervous as she usually was when taking exams, but instead experienced a peace she had never known before. She finished the exam in good time and got the highest grade. But she still faced the problem of two more exams, each one to come on an upcoming Sabbath.

She continued praying and trusted that God would again help her. When the next Sabbath came she went to church. After church the same students were waiting for her on the porch of her home. As before, they were very happy, but they said they didn’t quite understand why all these things were happening, but the teacher who was to have charge of the exam that day had to have an emergency operation in the hospital that morning. And again the exam was postponed until the next day, Sunday. Mary went, as she had the week before, to take her typewriting exam, and once again received the highest grade in the school.

Mary’s third and last exam in shorthand was also scheduled for Sabbath. She had continued praying all week. She went to church on Sabbath and for a third time, when she got home there were her classmates waiting at the door of her home. They said that only the power of God could have worked things out because this time it was the same as it had been the first Sabbath. Those in charge of the exam were drunk from a festival the night before, so the exam had been postponed until the next day, Sunday. When Mary went to take the exam, she again finished first and received the highest grade.

Mary, her fellow classmates, the dean, and headmistress of the college, now could clearly see that God had worked miraculously on her behalf, that Matthew 21:22 had truly been fulfilled in her life. “And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

The God who opened the Red Sea and delivered the children of Israel from the Egyptians, who preserved three faithful, young men in the fiery furnace and changed the heart of a king in the process, who saved Daniel from being lunch for a group of lions and the Jews from Haman the hangman, and changed circumstances so that a young, faithful woman would be able to take her exams on Sunday rather than the Sabbath, is still at work today. May we learn His way which is so much different from our own. How much better it is to do what God says and then wait for God to make a way through our difficulties.

“Our heavenly Father has a thousand ways to provide for us of which we know nothing. Those who accept the one principle of making the service of God supreme, will find perplexities vanish and a plain path before their feet.” The Ministry of Healing, 481

Elder W.D. Frazee studied the Medical Missionary Course at the College of Medical Evangelists in Loma Linda, California. He was called to Utah as a gospel medical evangelist. He founded the Wildwood Medical Missionary Institute in 1942. He believed that each person is unique, specially designed by the Lord.