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Self Examination

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Self examination , with us, may be defined as follows: A strict investigation of our spiritual state, to know whether we are in the faith, to know our defects that we may overcome them, and the improvements that we make, that we may be encouraged thereby. The necessity of attending to this duty will be seen by considering the following points:

  1. This duty is enforced by a divine command. “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith,” is the language of inspiration. 2 Corinthians 13:5. See also 1 Corinthians 11:28, Galatians 6:4.
  2. Since the heart is deceitful above all things, if we neglect to do self examination, we shall fail to obtain a thorough and correct knowledge of our own characters; and unless we know ourselves, without a knowledge of our imperfections, we cannot see the necessity of overcoming, and consequently shall fail to advance in sanctification. But if we become acquainted with our hearts by self examination, we shall realize the necessity of overcoming and progressing in holiness.
  3. By attending to self examination we shall be enabled to guard against self-deception, which consists in a wrong judgment of our spiritual condition. The grand remedy for self-deception, is self examination.

How liable men in every age have been to deceive themselves in regard to their characters, to call good evil, and evil good, and act accordingly. And how many forms of self-deception there are in the world. How many actually live and die self-deceived? And self-deception is not confined to the ungodly. In every age a great portion of the professed followers of God have been received as to their true characters. Only a few years have passed since the testimony of the faithful and true witness to the Laodiceans, Revelation 3:14–22, found the highly favored remnant church, even the people to whom the Lord had entrusted the sacred and important truths of the last message of mercy, deceived in regard to their spiritual state. This testimony described them as saying, “I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing.” While they knew not that they were “wretched and miserable, and poor and blind and naked.”

True, God’s people have improved since this cutting message was shown to apply to them. But how have they improved? We answer; One great means of their improvement has been self examination. But the Scriptures represent that many will pass along, deceiving themselves even till the day of the Lord, in which many will say, Lord, Lord, claiming a right to His favor; but He will profess unto them, “I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.” Matthew 7:22, 23. Now self-deception cannot exist where the work of self examination is rightly engaged in, and faithfully and perseveringly carried on.

If we were in a perfect state and had no defects in our characters, it would be very easy and agreeable for us to examine ourselves. But in this imperfect state, self examination is not so easy and agreeable a duty to perform. The difficulty of this work is not owing to anything obscure in the evidences of holiness; for these evidences are so clear that any one who is endowed with sufficient intellectual capacities to comprehend the common affairs of life, can understand them. Whence then does this difficulty arise?

It arises chiefly from the pride and deceitfulness of our own hearts, their liability to induce us to look upon our characters with complacency and to excuse ourselves for our wrongs, the efforts and suggestions of the adversary and his agencies to deter us from this work, our proneness to suffer our minds to be engrossed with the cares of this life, the faults of others and other subjects of secondary importance when compared with this subject. And because of these and other obstacles, the hearts of men are generally averse to self examination; and self examination is shrunk from, and neglected by the great body of professing Christians.

But notwithstanding the hindrances in the way of this work, and the unpleasantness arising there from, we may, and should, know ourselves. If we can discover and criticize the faults of others, we can discover and criticize our own faults. That mind that is so reflective and discriminating in worldly things, can be so in spiritual things. Peter could say, “Lord, Thou knowest all things; Thou knowest that I love Thee.” John 21:17.

Hezekiah could appeal to the Lord that he had walked before Him in truth and with a perfect heart, and had done that which was good in his sight. Isaiah 38:3. “We know,” says John, “that we have passed form death unto life, because we love the brethren.” 1 John 3:14. And Paul asserts that “the Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.” Romans 8:16.

But in entering upon an investigation of our spiritual state, it is of the utmost importance that we place before us the proper standard with which to try ourselves. And what shall this standard be?

  1. The suggestions of our hearts cannot answer as the standard; for these are deceitful and lead us astray.
  2. Neither is it safe to adopt feeling as the standard; for, as we have already seen, feeling varies with circumstances, and is often bad when we are in the way of duty.
  3. Nor is it prudent to adopt conscience as the criterion; for the conscience of one man will tell him one thing, and the conscience of another man will tell him another thing. The conscience of one man will approve him for one course of conduct, and that of another man will reprove him for the same course of conduct; and conscience itself, as well as feeling and the suggestions of our hearts, needs a standard.
  4. Neither could the sentiments, lives and experiences of others serve as the standard; these are also varying and conflicting and are often in direct opposition to the will of God; and though they may in some instances serve as helps, yet if we should adopt them as our criterion, we would certainly follow a zigzag course. We also need a criterion to try these and all false standards by, and this criterion is,
  5. The unerring Word of God. This should be the test of piety and holiness as well as of truth, the man of our counsel and the guide of our life, our only rule of faith, experience and practice, to which all our feelings and actions should be referred and by which they should be tried. It is by this Word that we shall be judged and by it we should now judge ourselves, and prove the genuineness of our piety. If we should adopt a different standard, we might expect to fall into serious mistakes.

We cannot determine our state merely by looking at ourselves. We must also look at the truth. We must examine ourselves in the light of God’s Word. Our minds are naturally dark, and we should seek for light from without—from the Word of the Lord. It is with us in this work, as it would be with a person in a dark room desiring to find an article, or to see himself and the defects of his person and dress. He at once raises the curtains and opens the blinds to let in light, or takes a light with him; then he can attend to his business. So if we would be successful in searching our faults, we must take the Word of God with us, and let its blessed truths shine in our hearts and on our characters; we must look at ourselves in the glass of truth. A person who would look in a dark room for an article hard to find without the aid of light, might question the possibility of finding it; and we might despair of becoming acquainted with our characters without the light of truth.

In self examination we should search the truth not merely to become acquainted with it as a theory, and to be able to handle it fluently, but to apply it to our own individual cases. The truth will do us no good unless we thus apply it to ourselves. Men may speak and write ably and eloquently in defense of the truth, without knowing its sanctifying power. It is one thing to see the truth at a distance, and as it is brought to bear upon others, and it is another thing to bring the truth home, and make a practical application of it to our own hearts and lives.

As the Bible must be our standard, so our model must be the perfect example of Jesus. We are required to walk even as He walked. It is safe to follow the example of Jesus, and we can follow others only as far as they agree with this perfect example.

In this work it is not only necessary that we adopt the proper standard, but we must also get clear and correct views of the evidences of piety and true holiness, some of which have already been noticed.

“Without this,” says Helffenstein, “we shall be liable either to the extreme of presumption or despondency. While some will cry, Peace, when there is no peace, others, overlooking the exercises of a renewed heart, will be held in perpetual bondage to their doubts and fears. Great care should then be taken to ascertain what the Scriptures insist on, as essential to Christian character. It is by these points, and not by such as is merely circumstantial, that we are to determine the genuineness of our piety.

“There are some who place great dependence upon the pungency of their convictions, the ecstasy of their joys, remarkable dreams, sudden impulses, the unexpected application of some Scripture promise, or the fact that they can refer to the particular moment and place of their supposed conversion. None of these things, however, constitute the distinguishing marks of race. Instead, therefore, of directing our minds to those circumstances which may be as marked in the cases of the self-deceived as in the cases of true believers, our inquiries should relate to those traits of character which are the invariable fruits of the Spirit, and which are common to all the subjects of its saving influence.”

There may be a tendency in us to take remorse, or a sense of guilt, as evidence of true repentance. But thousands have been deeply convicted of their sins who have never truly repented, and brought forth fruits meet for repentance. The wicked in the last day will have an overwhelming sense of guilt when it will be too late to repent. True repentance is invariably connected with remorse; but remorse may be realized where there is no genuine repentance.

As for dreams, they may come from various sources, and God has even given genuine dreams to those who were not in a state of grace. There are false joys and rejoicings, as well as true ones, and those who have them may seem happy while experiencing them. And the fact that we were once genuinely converted does not prove that we are now in a good condition. We may have failed to walk in the light, to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth, since our conversion, and as a consequence be in a backslidden state.

We can also attach too much importance to the idea that we have a form of godliness, and to the simple fact that we have formally connected ourselves with the people of God. We would not intimate that it is wrong to have a form of godliness, or to formally unite with God’s people. There is a form of godliness, as well as a form of the truth and a form of doctrine, Romans 3:20; 6:17; 2 Timothy 1:13, to which we should hold fast. The power of godliness does not exist without a certain form; but a form of godliness may, and does exist without the power. Hence Paul in enumerating the leading sins which were to make the last days perilous, notices the fact that men have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof. 2 Timothy 3:1–5.

The Jews adhered strictly to a form of godliness even after God had rejected them, and this has been the case with many ever since; and who can say that there are not some even among us— some who have formally identified themselves with the remnant church—who will be separated from God’s people, spued out of the mouth of the Lord, and perish with the ungodly at last? We should therefore take heed that we attach not too much importance to these circumstances separately considered.

There is also a possibility of taking as evidences of piety, constitutional traits,—traits with which we may be favored by nature, such as humanity, a calm and even temper, or constitutional fortitude, etc. These traits are good as far as they go; but they are known to exist in some of the unregenerate, and therefore are not the unmistakable evidences of piety.

It will greatly tend to facilitate this work to commence with fundamental principles, with plain, everyday duties, which can be easily understood, and the performance of which constitutes what is often called every-day religion, and with those faults which we are most likely to commit. By noticing these points the mind will be gradually prepared to advance further and deeper in the work.

There is an alphabet to self examination as well as to the other branches of sanctification, and if we leave this alphabet, and try to plunge into the depths of the work at once, we shall become confused, make egregious blunders, get discouraged, and perhaps give up the work, concluding that it is impracticable. The course of some well-meaning Christians in this work, may be well represented by a person trying to learn to read without first learning his letters, or by a student commencing to study mathematics, who would leave the first four rules in arithmetic and try to solve a difficult problem in the rule of three. We need a knowledge of the alphabet—not only when we commence to learn, but ever afterward —as long as we need to read; and so with the first rules in arithmetic; and so with the fundamental principles, duties and errors in self examination. We are too apt to leave these plain commonsense principles, to go off in search of something great and mysterious.

As it is easier for the mind to look at those things which are without, and which are tangible, we might examine our outward conduct, our actions and words, and see how they agree with the fundamental principles of right-doing, as summed up in the ten commandments; and then proceed to the mind, from whence our words and actions flow, exploring its dark recesses, and trying its thoughts and motives by the same principles as explained by different Bible writers, and especially by the great Teacher. It is highly necessary that we try our motives; for it sometimes happens that apparently good words and actions can be traced to wrong motives; as in the case for instance, when we attend to the temporal or spiritual interests of others, merely to receive the praise of men.

But we must remember to implore the Spirit’s aid, that we may have its illuminating influence to shine upon the truth, and in our minds, that the eyes of our understanding may be enlightened to see the truth and its bearing upon our characters. In the language of Jesus to the Laodiceans, we should “anoint our eyes that we may see.” The Holy Spirit is more than willing to help us in searching the truth and our hearts, and if we have the holy unction, we shall see our faults as fast as it will be for our good.

It will also greatly help us to advance in self-knowledge to improve on the knowledge we have already. To live up to the truth brings our natures in harmony with it, and brings light to the soul. By neglecting to live up to the knowledge that we already have, and by the practice of sin, our natures become gradually, and sometimes imperceptibly, averse to the truth; we bring darkness to our minds, and cannot see the force of the truth and our true condition.

Self examination necessarily commences before conversion, and should continue through our whole experience in overcoming—as long as the Lord sees fit to add to our store of practical knowledge. And we must not refuse to come to the light, lest the following cutting reproof of Christ be found to apply to us: “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” John 3:19, 20.

Self examination should be attended to deliberately, frequently, systematically, impartially and thoroughly. The importance of this work should induce us to engage in it cheerfully and without compulsion. We should attend to it frequently.

  1. Because our knowledge of self may be effaced from our minds by other and more recent impressions made on the mind, and as a consequence, we may lose a realizing sense of our condition.
  2. As we should advance in the knowledge of self, the oftener we learn a lesson of self-knowledge, the more rapid will be our progress. It would be proper at least to take a glance at ourselves at different intervals in the day, as we are called upon to perform our several duties, and to be systematic in calling ourselves to a strict account for all our conduct at the close of each day. It would also be beneficial to have a list of simple and pointed questions to address to ourselves on the occasion. System will help us here as well as elsewhere.

Says Dr. Watts, “It was a sacred rule among the Pythagoreans, that they should every evening, thrice run over the actions and affairs of the day, and examine what their conduct had been, what they had done, or what they had neglected; and they assured their pupils that by this method they would make a noble progress in the path of virtue.” And shall we be behind these heathen philosophers in this important exercise? Dr. Watts also furnishes the following lines, which we would do well to remember:

“Nor let soft slumber close your eyes,

Before you’ve recollected thrice

The train of actions thro’ the day.

Where have my feet chose out the way?

What have I learned where’er I’ve been,

From all I’ve heard, from all I’ve seen?

What know I more, that’s worth the knowing?

What have I done that’s worth the doing?

What have I sought that I should shun?

What duty have I left undone,

Or into what new follies run?

These self-inquiries are the road

That leads to virtue and to God.”

This work should be attended to thoroughly and impartially. In this respect it should be with us as with a judge sitting on a criminal case. It is a case of life or death, and justice and equity require that we be thorough in our investigations, and impartial in our decisions, and that we excuse not self because we are related to it. We are all in danger of excusing self for so-called little sins. Says the natural heart, It is but a small matter, a trifle. Why be so particular about such niceties? But is it a little God whose Word we have violated, and against whom we have sinned? Remember that it is the little foxes that spoil the vine, and that it takes but a small breakage in a ship to sink it. Awful consequences have followed seemingly insignificant deviations from right, as clearly appears from numerous cases recorded in the Scriptures.

Self examination is a character work, and accords with the nature of the third message. As a study, self examination requires quiet, and is not so much characterized by sudden impulses and flights of feeling, as by cool and calm thinking. Hence, those who are peculiarly fond of excitement and high raptures, and only skim at the surface of the subject, will not delight themselves in this work, until they place before them the proper standard, and cease to reach out after feeling, at the neglect of heart-work and right principles. Holiness is not spasmodic and periodical, and we are not to determine our state so much by what we are once a week, once a month, or once a year, as by what we are habitually.

As helps in acquiring self-knowledge, trials and afflictions cannot be too highly appreciated. The first object of trials is to make us inquire into our condition. It is when we are tried that we can easily ascertain the nature of our characters. It is then that we can readily see what dispositions enter into our characters, whether we are inclined to obey God or not, whether the Christian graces shine in us brightly or dimly. Take, for example, the graces of patience, faith and love. Is it not when we are tried that we can tell whether these graces are planted and growing in our hearts? Is it not when we endure trials with a calm and unruffled temper, without murmuring or fretting, that we can truly say that we are patient? But if we do not thus endure, are we not impatient? And is it not so with faith? Is it not when trials and obstructions are placed in its way, that we can tell how much confidence we have in God? And the same is true of love. We cannot really know how much of it we possess till we are proved. For instance, when the Lord requires us to do anything that is really crossing, we may know how much we love Him, by our willingness to obey Him. There is such a thing as loving God and our fellow men with selfish affections—merely because of favors, which we receive from them. But this is discoverable when these favors are withheld from us. And it is when we are deprived of temporal or spiritual blessings that we can tell whether we love them more than we ought, or with perverted affections. We might judge too favorably of our characters by measuring ourselves only by what we are in prosperity, and when everything seems to be in our favor.

Dear reader, if you have not already entered upon the work of self examination, be entreated to enter upon it at once. Be not intimidated by the vastness of the work. Commence by taking the first step, and by taking the first step you will be preparing for the second step, and so on, the way opening before you as you advance. If you have already commenced this work, be encouraged to continue it cheerfully and perseveringly, considering it as the leading branch of sanctification, yielding great advantages and a rich compensation to those who improve upon it.

 

The Holy Spirit

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God in His divine wisdom foresaw that in the end time Satan would cause every wind of doctrine to blow upon His chosen people, to unsettle their faith. Today we are encircled by the lies of Satan, and some of these are even being taught by men whom we once trusted to be the servants of the Most High God. Thousands are bewildered, uncertain and deceived. We desperately need the Holy Spirit to guide us and give us heavenly discernment to see the difference between truth and error.

We need to be aware of Satan’s delusions and stand firmly on the pillars of truth. “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.” 2 Thessalonians 2:7–11.

Now we learn that Satan will carry out his activities with all power and signs and lying wonders and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness, to warp and twist and distort the truth so that many will believe a lie.

God foresaw that Satan would work to confound and bewilder even the very elect in the last days. He saw that His people would need the clear testimony of the Holy Spirit to pierce through this theological confusion, or they would flounder and be misled. This is why God gave the Holy Spirit in the gift of the Spirit of Prophecy that the church might prepare the way of the Lord.

While the Holy Spirit is being given to the faithful, it is being withdrawn from the wicked that have turned from the truth. No other spiritual gift could guard God’s people from this onslaught of satanic evil. Never in all past history has the Holy Spirit been so needed as it is in our day. “In ancient times God spoke to men by the mouth of prophets and apostles. In these days He speaks to them by the testimonies of His Spirit. There was never a time when God instructed His people more earnestly.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 147.

When the Israelites were in bondage in Egypt, God called Moses to lead them to the Promised Land. Of him we read, “And by a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved.” Hosea 12:13. The exodus serves as a type of the final gathering of God’s people when they are gathering from the four-corners of the earth. For Isaiah said, “And there shall be an highway for the remnant of His people.” Isaiah 11:16.

In order to accomplish this, God has placed the gift of prophecy amid His remnant, just as He foretold in Revelation 12:17: “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” And, “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Revelation 19:10.

Throughout history, God’s spokesmen often suffered mockery and derision and many have been reluctant to answer the call. When God called Moses to the prophetic office, he hesitated saying, “I am slow of speech.” Exodus 4:10. But God overruled. When God called Jeremiah, he said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.” Jeremiah 1:6. But God countered, “Thou shalt be as My mouth.” Jeremiah 15:19.

A reluctant Ellen Harmon, one of the weakest of the weak, pleaded her inadequacies. But God instructed her: “Exhort from the word. I will make My word open to you. It shall not be as a strange language. In the true eloquence of simplicity, with voice and pen, the messages that I give shall be heard from one who never learned in the schools. My spirit and My power shall be with you.” Review and Herald, July 26, 1906.

The Holy Spirit brings the gift of the Spirit. There can be no misunderstanding about this vital truth. Nehemiah stated “Thou testifiedst . . . by Thy spirit in Thy prophets.” Nehemiah 9:30.

And Peter explains, “Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently . . .searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven.” 1 Peter 1:10–12.

He added in 2 Peter 1:21: “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” Somehow the majority of our ministers today have failed to teach the remnant that the Spirit of Prophecy writings of Ellen White are indeed the breath of the Spirit.

Before Ellen White’s writings became available so that the source of their inspiration could be judged from Scripture, God provided open visions. These visions were tested by the Biblical precedent given in Daniel 10:16, 17, which shows that when Daniel was in vision he did not breathe. Careful examination of Ellen White on a number of occasions revealed that while she was in vision she did not breathe. But the brethren went much further than this. After checking to see if she breathed in vision, they followed Paul’s counsel found in 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21. “Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” And so they examined the contents of her messages to see if in any way they conflicted with the Bible. The brethren dared not accept or reject the visions without ascertaining their source. Some held that it was too good to be true, others found that the Bible provided guidelines which made it possible to distinguish between true and false prophets.

Let’s take a look at some of these Biblical tests of a prophet.

1) False prophets led away from the Bible. “If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear Him, and keep His commandments, and obey His voice, and ye shall serve Him, and cleave unto Him.” Deuteronomy 13:1–4.

2) False prophets make false predictions. “When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.” Deuteronomy 18:22.

3) False prophets teach things that are contrary to God’s law. “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isaiah 8:20.

4) False prophets fail to turn sinners from evil. “In the latter days, . . . I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in My counsel, and had caused My people to hear My words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.” Jeremiah 23:20–22.

True prophets are known because, 1) They speak the truth without fear or favor. Consider the Prophet John who reproved King Herod. “But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him [John] for Herodias his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done.” Luke 3:19. This prophet of God dared to reprove a king and he lost his life for it.

2) True prophets declare that Jesus came in the flesh. “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.” 1 John 4:1–3.

3) True prophets edify the church. “But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.” 1 Corinthians 14:3.

4) True prophets preach the gospel “with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven.” 1 Peter 1:10–12.

 

Ellen White’s Testimonies about Herself

 

Ellen White rarely spoke of her role as a prophet. Once a denominational leader became unsure of the need of this gift. She gave him a Bible study asking why the books of Nathan, Gad, Ahijah and Ido mentioned in first and second Chronicles and other inspired writings mentioned in the Bible, were not included in the sacred cannon?

She explained that the books of Scripture that had been preserved contain truths needed in every succeeding generation, but the books omitted from sacred cannon contained instructions for a particular time, needed then but not needed later. Then referring to her writings, she said that they could not have benefited any previous age, but were for the present end-time needs. As a result of the study, this leader rejoiced in the light and became a defender of the prophetic gift.

Ellen White always made it clear that her writings were not to take the place of the Bible. “I commend to you . . . the word of God as the rule of your faith and practice. God has, in that word, promised to give visions in the ‘last days’; not for a new rule of faith, but for the comfort of His people, and to correct those who err.” Early Writings, 78. (See also Experiences and Views, of 1851.)

She stated in Evangelism, 257: “The Lord has given a lesser light to lead men and women to the greater light.” Ellen White insisted in her introduction to The Great Controversy that, “The spirit was not given—nor can it ever be bestowed—to supercede the Bible.” The Great Controversy, vii. She exalts the Bible as the standard by which we must test all teachings: “The Holy Scriptures are to be accepted as the authoritative, infallible revelation of His will.” Ibid. It is impossible that the teachings of the Spirit should ever be contrary to the Word.

Ellen White presents a full explanation of the nature of her work and the influence of the Testimonies in Testimonies, vol. 5, 654–672. She says that as the end draws near, it becomes most important for God’s people to understand the writings which are “linked with the Third Angel’s Message from its very rise.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 654. Then she lists steps leading to apostasy: “It is Satan’s plan to weaken the faith of God’s people in the Testimonies. Satan knows how to make his attacks. He works upon minds to excite jealousy and dissatisfaction, toward those at the head of the work. The gifts are next questioned; then, of course, they have but little weight, and instruction given through vision is disregarded. Next follows skepticism in regard to the vital points of our faith, the pillars of our position, then doubt as to the Holy Scriptures, and then the downward march to perdition. When the Testimonies, which were once believed, are doubted and given up, Satan knows the deceived ones will not stop at this, and he redoubles his efforts until he launches them into open rebellion, which becomes incurable and ends in destruction.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 672.

This is happening today. God purposed that His last day mouthpiece preach end time distinctive truths, as a watchman on the walls of Zion. Sensing such dangers ahead, she stated: “Satan is working with everyone who is not under the control of the spirit of God. There is constant danger of allowing something to come into our midst that we may regard as the workings of the Holy Spirit, but in reality is the fruit of the spirit of fanaticism. The Holy Spirit always comes in a way that commends itself to the judgments of the people. Holiness of heart will never lead to impure actions. The Holy Spirit’s movings upon the human agent will keep the mind well balanced. If we are constantly looking unto Jesus and receiving His Spirit, we shall have clear eyesight.” Selected Messages, vol. 2, 60. (See also pages 51, 43 and 29.)

 

The Functions of the Spirit of Prophecy

 

Ellen White’s writings restate truths emphasized by Bible prophets in modern language that speaks to us today. She leaves no error untouched in the spectrum of human relations. She reveals the issues raised at Lucifer’s defection and exposes the depth of Satan’s malice in contrast to Christ’s amazing love. The sacrifice on the cross becomes so meaningful in her writings. Hearts are moved to visualize Christ dying in our place. I can personally testify that no other book has ever opened up my soul to salvation’s wonders as The Desire of Ages did when I read it.

The Spirit of Prophecy gives the remnant church an understanding of the work of Christ as our High Priest in the sanctuary above. This unique doctrine is not understood by any of the other churches in our world.

Her writings open up spiritual details of Christ’s Second Coming and what takes place following the millennial reign in heaven. She tells of the destruction of the wicked and pictures the earth made new as a place for the redeemed of all ages. She lets us, in anticipation, enjoy the delights of heaven here and now, as we read her works.

God led Ellen White to give invaluable counsel in establishing publishing, medical and educational institutions, guiding the brethren in opening up work in the great cities of the earth.

But more than any other gift, the Spirit of Prophecy brought a unity of faith to our church. “The Christ in us will meet the Christ in our brethren, and the Holy Spirit will give that union of heart and action which testifies to the world that we are children of God.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 188.

God’s messenger offers specific direction for the finishing of the work. She tells us that kindness, courtesy and tenderheartedness will produce hundreds of conversions where now only one occurs. (See Testimonies, vol. 9, 189.)

 

Our Need Today

 

Our great sin as a people today “is that they do not open the heart to receive the Holy Spirit.” Selected Messages, vol. 2, 57. We have many noted preachers of prophecy, but Ellen White tells us that we would understand the prophecies even better if we granted the Spirit more freedom. This messenger of God declared, “The rebuke of God is upon us . . .His blessings have been withdrawn because the testimonies He has given have not been heeded . . . The means that God has devised to awaken the church to a sense of its spiritual destitution have not been regarded. The voice of the True Witness has been heard . . . but has not been obeyed.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 719.

Disobedience always brings tragic results. God said, regarding our medical work, that we should build small institutions in a country environment and shun debt! But today we owe more than a billion dollars and are being forced to join other medical facilities.

Porter Hospital in Denver has joined hands with a Catholic Hospital. We are no longer free to operate our hospital according to Seventh-day Adventist beliefs. We are joined with Catholicism both financially and in management. This is but a preview of what will come to our other medical institutions.

Likewise we were instructed concerning how our educational systems should function. Worldly government agencies have marveled at the divine blue print as laid down in the book, Education. But again, the leadership decided to become like the worldly institutions by seeking accreditation for our schools.

The first statement made by the accreditation board, when we applied, went something like this: You do not want to do this because you will lose your identity and eventually discover it is impossible to teach your doctrine. But the leadership convinced themselves that they knew better and that this would never happen.

God said, “Be ye separate.” But the educational leaders said, “Join.” (I was there and heard that with my own ears when I was in the General Conference.) And so the sad results have revealed that God is always right.

Since we have received accreditation, we no longer have the right to dismiss a professor who teaches false doctrines, such as evolution or any other science contrary to God’s Word and to our beliefs. (One of our universities, even, no longer teaches that the world was created in seven days. This is not God’s institution!)

Many of our youth are led in the wrong direction. I tremble at the thought of what God soon will do when He takes the reigns into His own hands and separates the tares from the wheat.

King Jehoshaphat proclaimed the secret of how God keeps His church pure, when he admonished Judah, “Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe His prophets, so shall ye prosper.” 2 Chronicles 22:20.

As the division becomes more pronounced within Adventism, between the liberals and those who choose the standards and instructions given by God’s mouthpiece, I see a major drive to turn the remnant from the writings of Ellen White to the New Theology of love and unity. New books are being written which teach that “the little old lady” was good for the church in its younger years, but now with all our doctors of divinity we no longer need to adhere to the Spirit of Prophecy.

This is exactly what Ellen White predicted. “The very last deception of Satan will be to make of none effect the testimony of the Spirit of God. ‘Where there is no vision, the people perish.’ Proverbs 29:18. Satan will work ingeniously, in different ways and through different agencies, to unsettle the confidence of God’s remnant people in the true testimony.

“There will be a hatred kindled against the testimonies which is satanic. The workings of Satan will be to unsettle the faith of the churches in them.” Selected Messages, vol. 1, 48.

“There are men among us in responsible positions who hold that the opinion of a few conceited philosophers, so called, are more to be trusted than the truth of the Bible, or the testimonies of the Holy Spirit. Such a faith as that of Paul, Peter, and John is considered old fashioned . . .at the present day. It is pronounced absurd, mystical, and unworthy of an intelligent mind.

“God has shown me that these men are Hazaels to prove a scourge to our people. They are wise above what is written. “God will have a people pure and true. In the mighty sifting soon to take place we shall be better able to measure the strength of Israel.

“The days are fast approaching when there will be great perplexity and confusion. Satan, clothed in angel robes, will deceive, if possible, the very elect. There will be gods many and lords many. Every wind of doctrine will be blowing. Those who have rendered supreme homage to ‘science, falsely so called’ will not be the leaders then. Those who have trusted in intellect, genius, or talent will not then stand at the head of rank and file. They did not keep pace with the light. Those who have proved themselves unfaithful will not then be trusted with the flock. In the last solemn work few great men will be engaged. They are self-sufficient, independent of God, and He cannot use them. The Lord has faithful servants who in the shaking, testing time will be disclosed to view. There are precious ones now hidden who have not bowed the knee to Baal.

“The time is not far distant when the test will come to every soul. The mark of the beast will be urged upon us. Those who have step by step yielded to worldly demands and conformed to worldly customs will not find it a hard matter to yield to the powers that be, rather than subject themselves to derision, insult, threatened imprisonment, and death. The contest is between the commandments of God and the commandments of men. In this time the gold will be separated from the dross in the church. True godliness will be clearly distinguished from the appearance and tinsel of it. Many a star that we have admired for its brilliancy will then go out in darkness.

“The church cannot measure herself by the world, nor by the opinion of men nor by what she once was. Her faith and her position in the world as they now are must be compared with what they would have been if her course had been continually onward and upward. The church will be weighed in the balances of the sanctuary.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 79–84.

But, lest we forget, the gift of prophecy promotes the means for the loud cry and constitutes a vital part of the loud cry message. Seventh-day Adventists need make no apology for Ellen White, but rather we need to apologize publicly because we have not given her works greater publicity.

Let us remember often the words of Holy Scripture, “Here is the patience of the saints. Here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” And may we remember Ellen White’s comments in Special Testimonies to Battle Creek, 6. “This is the message given by God to be sounded forth in the loud cry of the third angel. The faith of Jesus and the testimony of Jesus are blended. They are to be clearly presented to the world.” May we never forget how wonderfully God has blessed this people in giving us the Spirit of Prophecy.

Children’s Story — Miraculous Deliverance of a Ship’s Crew

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On August 9, 1815, the “Brig Commerce” was wrecked on the coast of Africa. Captain Riley tells how he and his crew were saved after the shipwreck.

“We managed to get the small boat’s sails, consisting of a gib and mainsail, into the small boat, with a spar that would do for a mast, and the ‘Brig’s’ foremost staysail. We had a keg of water, a few pieces of food, a live pig that weighed abut twenty pounds, about four pounds of figs that had been soaking in the salt water ever since the wreck. (We fished the figs out of the cabin.) This was the total of our provisions.

“The pig had escaped to the shore at the time of the shipwreck. But when the waves pulled us back from the shore, the pig swam back to us and we took it into the small boat. When everything was ready, I tried to encourage the crew as well as I could. I told them that it was better for us to be swallowed up by the sea than to be massacred by the ferocious savages.

“I reminded the crew that God was able to save us, even when the last ray of hope was vanishing and we should never despair, but do our best in our attempt to get to safety, and still hope for His merciful protection. As we looked at the dangers that surrounded us—wave after wave breaking with a dreadful crash constantly just beyond us, our hearts failed us. There seemed to be no possibility of getting safely beyond the breakers unless God intervened.

“I had doubted that God would particularly intervene in any case, yet if there is a general providence, there must be a particular providence! Everyone trembled with fear and dread. We thought that as soon as we went past the wrecked ship, we would be drowned.

“Then I said, ‘Let us pull off our hats, my companions and shipmates in distress.’ Quickly every man pulled his hat off. I lifted my eyes and soul toward heaven and prayed, ‘Great Creator and Preserver of the universe, Who now seest our distresses, we pray Thee to spare our lives and permit us to pass through this overwhelming surf to the open sea. But if we are doomed to perish, Thy will be done. We commit our souls to Thee, our God, Who gave them, and O, universal Father, protect and preserve our widows and children.’

“The winds, as if by divine command, at this very moment ceased to blow. We hauled the boat out. The dreadful surges that were nearly bursting upon us suddenly quit, making a path for our boat, through which we rowed out as smoothly as if we had been on a river in a calm. But on each side of us and just a few yards away, the surf continued to break twenty feet high with unabated fury!

“We had to row nearly a mile in this manner. All of us were fully convinced that we were saved by God’s special intervention just when we needed His help. All joined in returning thanks to God for His mercy. As soon as we reached the open sea and had gone some distance from the wreck, we saw the surf rolling behind us with the same force as it had on each side of the boat!” Riley’s Narrative, 33, 34.

The following interesting remarks are from the author’s preface:

“With respect to the extraordinary circumstance told in the story of the sudden subsiding of the surf when we were about committing ourselves to the open sea in our shattered boat, I know that there will be much comment and probably some ridicule.

“I was advised to not tell that part of the story in case some unbelievers would not believe the rest of my ‘narrative.’ This probably would have been good advice for me as a mere author. Previously, I might have been suspicious that such a story was not true. But I feel that I cannot withhold an incident that so clearly seemed to my companions and me at the time as the immediate and merciful act of God just when death was pressing close upon us.

“The waters of the sea had well nigh covered us; the proud waves had well nigh gone over our soul. Then cried we unto Thee, O Lord, and thou didst deliver us out of our distresses; the windy storm ceased and turned into a calm.”

From Miraculous Powers, by M. E. Cornell. Modernized by Ken and Lois McGaughey.

 

The Sparrow in the Storm

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“A storm is coming relentless in its fury.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 315, How will we make it through this coming storm of unprecedented fierceness? That is what we will look at in this article. Most of the time we realize our utter weakness and helplessness. Without the Lord’s special intervention, we know that we have little strength to stand in times of storm. We sometimes fear that we may be left alone. We feel that we may be like the helpless little sparrow trying to brave the cold blustery winter wind.

In the world, sparrows are not of much value. “Are not tow sparrows sold for a farthing?” You may not feel that you are of much value in this world either. That you, like the little sparrow, are helpless and alone. But, Jesus said, “And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.” Matthew 10:29-31. Our heavenly Father has a plan to protect you in the great final storm of life. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Jeremiah 29:11. Do not fear the coming storm if you are hidden in the sure hiding place.

The final culmination of this coming storm is described as happening during the seventh plague. “And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.” Revelation 16:18–21. This storm will be louder then any you have ever heard. The thunder will roll through the earth with deafening jolts. Where will you be hiding when the lightening flashes, the thunder rolls and the hail crashes to the earth? Will you have a hiding place?

Job wrote about another aspect of this storm. “Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? Or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?” Job 38:22, 23. Here we see another element of this storm—snow.

On our back porch, we have a bird feeder. In the spring time we have three kinds of birds that come: the little Sparrows, the even smaller Juncos, and the beautiful red Cardinals. The feeder is close to our table and during mealtime we often look out and see the Cardinals and the Sparrows happily eating. One day, late this past winter, the snow was coming down fast and furious, and the wind was blowing. I looked out at the bird feeder and was amazed to see that the birds were flying in, just as much as ever, to get food out of the bird feeder. However, the wind blew so hard that it blew most of the feed out of the bird feeder and the snow came down so fast that it covered up the seed on the patio.

The birds would get up into the bird feeder, flutter their wings and knock the remaining seed down on the patio. Then they would hop down on the snow and eat the seed. There were quite a number of them down there eating. Four times during the snowstorm, I went out and sprinkled a pint of various seeds on the snow. The birds would have it about half eaten before it was covered up with more snow. Then I would sprinkle more seeds. With the cold wind all around them, how lighthearted and happy the birds were. Without stopping to mourn the storm, they ate what was provided and chirped their happy thoughts.

 

Can You Serve Two Masters?

 

The One that made the little birds is the One that arranges for their care in the snow and wind. Jesus told us that we should look at the birds (Matthew 6:26) and think about them. They have a lesson to teach us. A lesson that if well learned will help us through the storm that is coming. If we, with undivided devotion, serve the Master that made us, we have no cause to fear.

“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet, your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?” Matthew 6:24–26. Look at the birds! Who takes care of them? They do not sew their garments and yet your heavenly Father sees them. They trust the heavenly Father. We can only have this trust if our service is undivided. “No man can serve two masters.” It all comes down to which Master we serve. If you serve the Master that created the birds, He will take care of you just like He takes care of the birds. If we choose to divide our service between God and a different master, we abandon God’s careship. However, the Lord in His great mercy strives with us long, to bring us under His care, because He loves us.

We need His care because a great storm of persecution is coming. “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Revelation 13:11–17.

This beast is a persecuting power because, verse 12 says, “He exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him.” And verse 7 describes the first beast, saying: “It was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.” This beast makes war with God’s people. Although he is a persecuting power, he has influence over the whole world through the miracles he performs. After he has the wholeworld awestruck by his miraculous power, then “he hath power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” verse 15.

 

Discerning the Signs

 

This is the great storm that even now is starting to break upon us. Have you ever noticed the color of the sky before it hails? It turns an unusual kind of a green. Jesus said to the Pharisees, You look up in the sky and you can see the signs in the sky that foretell the weather. In just the same way you should look at the signs and see that the coming of the Son of man is even at the door. All around us we see the signs of a great storm approaching. Where will you be when the storm strikes?

The time is coming very soon when the warning message to obey God will have been given to the whole world. Everyone will have heard a call of mercy to obey God, worship Him and keep His Ten Commandments. It is going forth even now. Very soon, how soon only God knows, everyone in the world will have heard a call to obey Him. Whoever you obey, he is your master. Everyone will have to choose one or the other; “No man can serve two masters.” But the One that created the birds is able to take care of us, just like He takes care of the little birds and sees that they have food to eat in the storm.

“His hand is not shortened, that He cannot save, nor His ear heavy, that He cannot hear.” Isaiah 59:1. That is not even the question. The question is, are our sins removed? God said, It is your iniquities that are between Me and you, so that I will not reach forth My hand to save you.

We have a prayer hearing and answering God. But if we persistently refuse to receive His invitations of mercy, the time eventually will come when God will stand up and the final pronouncement will be made for every inhabitant on this world. The words will go forth: “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And behold, I come quickly.” Revelation 22:11, 12. Before this pronouncement, everyone will have decided which side they are on and which master they will serve.

 

The Time of Jacob’s Trouble

 

Then the world will be plunged into the most terrible scenes of trouble. Satan himself will plunge this earth into a fearful time of corruption, agony and despair, affecting all the inhabitants of this world. God’s people also will be in a time of trouble, what is called by the prophet Jeremiah, the time of Jacob’s trouble. “For thus saith the Lord; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? Wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.” Jeremiah 30:5–7.

Why is Jacob’s trouble used to describe this great time of trouble that is coming on this earth Because we, like Jacob, are great sinners. Through lying and deception, Jacob obtained the birthright that was to be his. Esau wanted the birthright and was angry, so Jacob had to flee for his life. Twenty years later an angel, in a dream, told Jacob to go back to his homeland. Like the little sparrow he had no weapons against the hand of the fowler. He sent his brother gifts. He eventually divided his family into two camps hoping that if one were attacked, the other could escape. As the night approached, he crossed over the brook to spend the night in prayer. He knew God was his only hope. “And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when He saw that He prevailed not against him, He touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as He wrestled with him. And He said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And He said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And He said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.” Genesis 32:24.

Jacob knew that he was feeble. He had to run to a hiding place. Someone was coming against him that was stronger than he was. He was like a rabbit being chased by a fox. The rabbits know that they must find a hiding place, or they will get caught. “The conies [little desert rabbits] are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks.” Proverbs 30:26. But Jacob had a problem that even the rabbits do not have—he had sinned against God (his Rock of hiding). He had been deceptive. He had broken the law of God. But knowing the mercy of God, he dared to lean upon His grace and ask for help. We must also go to the one we have sinned against and ask for forgiveness, if we expect to find help and strength in the storm. That is our only hope. Like Jacob, we will find mercy there.

Jacob’s prayer must have been similar to this: “Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto Thee when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For Thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of Thy wings.” Psalm 61:1–4. Hidden in the Rock, Jacob was safe. Esau could not touch him.

The next morning, as Esau came, Jacob, leaning on his staff, painfully limped out to see his brother. Jacob looked feeble. He had been wrestling with the angel all night. Little did the hardened chief realize that the hiding of his brother’s strength was in his limp. It is better to have a lame joint from the hand of God than to stand in our own strength.

Often God heals us through the pain of trials and suffering. We are very slow to realize that trials, suffering and times of trouble mean benefit to us. We want the “blessing” of no problems, no financial worries, no hard work, no weariness and no pain. But that is not the way life is. When Jesus was on earth, the devil assailed Him from the cradle to the cross but He never faltered. We can walk in His footsteps. There are cruel thorns on the pathway that prick and wound us, but through the power of prayer, we can prevail.

There is a great evil power on this earth and just as the devil moved on Esau’s heart to march against Jacob and destroy him, the devil will move on the wicked to destroy the righteous. That is why the prophet Jeremiah called this the time of Jacob’s trouble. The righteous during this last great time of trouble will have people against them, just as Jacob did. (See Revelation 13:15.)

 

Wrestling with God

 

During that time, if we follow Jacob’s example, we will be saved. It is said of Jacob, “Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto Him: He found him in Bethel, and there He spake with us.” Hosea 12:4. Like Jacob, we have sinned. But we need to go to the One we have sinned against, for He is the only One that can give us a protective covering in the storm. God says to each of us: “Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me.” Isaiah 27:5. Have you reached out your hand in prayer and taken hold of the strong One? Have you agonized long with God in prayer, until every power in your soul was on the stretch? Until your only longing was to be completely transformed into God’s likeness?

Those that are wrestling with God for the victory, as Jacob did, will find a cover in the storm. Like the conies, they will be hidden in the rock. I want to be sheltered by the Rock of ages, the Tower of strength, under His wings. During this storm, the beast power will cause everyone to receive a mark. Anyone who does not receive the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his name will not be able to buy or sell. (See Revelation 13:16, 17.)

Jesus said, If you serve the Master that created the birds, you do not need to worry. We serve a God that owns all the food and raiment in the world. Our only concern should be which god are we serving? Do we worship the Master of earth and sea and sky, the Creator?

 

Satan’s Masterpiece

 

During this time, the greatest deception in the history of the world will be staged. Satan will try to counterfeit the Second Coming of Jesus. Paul warns us of this time, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition: who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4.

The man of sin will oppose God. He will try to set himself up as God and cause all to worship him. In other words, he will use trickery. Then Paul says, “Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: [It was already working in Paul’s time] only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.” 2 Thessalonians 2:5–7. “Letteth” means constrained. This man of sin was being constrained, being held back in Paul’s day, but it was already starting to work.

“And then [meaning when the power restraining the man of sin was removed; which happened in 538 A.D., when the pagan Roman Empire was removed, and there was nothing to hold back the papal church] shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming. Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:8–12.

This is not the Second Coming of Jesus, but the coming of another power. Jesus talked about this coming, which “is after the working of Satan,” in Matthew 24, “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.” Matthew 24:23–26.

Imagine the ring of victory in the air as people from all over the world cry, “Christ is come! Christ is come! He is performing miracles!” The deceiver comes as a beautiful majestic being, speaking the words of Scripture. Then in his gentle voice, this false christ assures the world that God’s law has been changed, that the Sabbath has been changed to Sunday. Then the whole world will wonder after the beast.

The devil cannot counterfeit the coming of Jesus. We must know what the Bible says about His coming so we will not be deceived. The following verses give a description of the Second Coming that cannot be duplicated: “For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Matthew 24:27. “And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Verse 31. “Every eye shall see Him.” Revelation 1:7. “For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17. But if you see a coming that is not like this, you are seeing the greatest deception this world has ever seen. If you are not hidden in the Rock, you will be deceived.

“A storm is coming, relentless in its fury.” There is a hiding place. It is safe in the Rock of ages. If you have chosen Him for your Master, then just like the little bird in the storm, you will be safe. Some of God’s people may be martyred. You may be persecuted for your faith, for standing firmly for God’s law. Remember, the words of Jesus, “And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear Him, which after He hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear Him. Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess Me before men, him shall the Son of man confess before the angels of God: But he that denieth Me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.” Luke 12:4–9.

Do not be afraid of men. Fear God. If you have chosen Him for your Master and you confess Him before men, He will take care of you, just like He takes care of the little sparrows.

 

The Door of the Sheep Fold

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In the Garden of Eden, after Eve was beguiled by the serpent and ate the forbidden fruit, God made a solemn pronouncement. Directly addressing the devil He said, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” Here God delineates the two groups that exist in the world today. One is the seed of the woman, the other the seed of the devil.

Who are the descendents (the seed) of Eve? All the world are her physical descendents, but, by far, not all are her spiritual descendents. Her descendents are those who follow in her steps, repenting of their sins, and keep God’s commandments. This is His church as represented by the woman in Revelation 12:17, whose seed “keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus.”

Who then are the devil’s seed? John identifies them clearly in 1 John 3:8: “He who sins is of the devil.” Sin is breaking the law of God. If you are living in sin, you are proclaiming to the whole world that you are the devil’s child.

So, we see that this whole issue hangs on one principle. Do you keep or break the commandments of God? This is the dividing line between the two groups, and there is no mixing. You must either be the seed of the woman or the seed of the serpent. You can never be fifty percent the seed of the serpent and fifty percent the seed of the woman. It is one or the other. Ellen White said it this way: “There must be open and avowed enmity between the church and the serpent; between her seed and his seed.” Signs of the Times, August 26, 1889.

It looks very simple then; there are two groups, the woman’s seed—the church—and the seed of the devil. However, it can appear much more complicated than that. In John 10, Jesus illustrated this, using sheep to symbolize His people. The seed of the serpent are those who want to be in the church as part of the professed people of God, but do not enter through the door. Jesus said about them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.” John 10:1.

What does the sheepfold represent and what is its function? In Heavenly Places, 324 says, “The Lord can carry forward His work without our cooperation. He is not dependent on us for our money, our time, or our labor. But the church is very precious in His sight. It is the case which contains His jewels, the fold which encloses His flock, and He longs to see it without spot or blemish or any such thing.”

The fold is the church, and its function is to protect the flock. But what happens when wolves, in sheep’s clothing, sneak over the wall and get in with the sheep? Do the sheep know that they are wolves? No, because they are in sheep’s clothing, and appear just like all the other sheep. These then are the tares. They are not part of God’s people (the wheat), but they are in sheep’s clothing, and so the sheep cannot tell any difference.

We need to learn a lesson from this. Just because you are in the house does not mean you are a member of the family. Take my home for instance. Each member of my family has a key to the door, and when we go in and out, we use the key to unlock the door. But, what if a burglar comes to my home, and crawls through the window to steal from us. Is he in the house? Yes, but is he a part of the family? Of course not, he is a robber and a thief. The same is true for those who enter the fold by climbing over the wall. They are thieves, robbers, wolves in sheep’s clothing and tares.

 

Wolves Take Over the Fold

 

It is a dangerous situation when wolves in sheep’s clothing get into the fold. They may have on sheep’s clothing, but they still bite. Here is how inspiration describes them: “All the way along in the history of the Third Angel’s Message there have been found among the believers men who have done much harm to God’s cause. These men are spots in our feasts of charity; tares among the wheat; wolves among the sheep, ready to bite and devour.” Review and Herald, May 12, 1903. The sheep in that fold are then scattered and the wolves take over the fold, or the tares take over the field.

That is what happened in Jesus’ day. In John 9, we can read the context in which Jesus told the parable of the sheepfold. It tells the story of how Jesus healed a blind man on the Sabbath. Because this man acknowledged Christ as his healer, the Pharisees disfellowshipped him—cast him out of the fold. Ellen White comments on this in Signs of the Times, December 4, 1893: “And in no gentle manner they thrust him out of the synagogue. The sheep was cast out of the fold for being a living witness to the power of Christ. Many have been cast out of the church whose names were registered upon the Book of Life. Wolves in sheep’s clothing were ready to cast out of the fold and devour one who was entitled to the Lord’s pasture . . . But Jesus, the true Shepherd, sought him, and gave him a place within the fold.” How did Jesus give him a place in the fold? Did He go to Caiaphas and say, “There is a man over here whose sight I restored and your subordinates disfellowshipped him. I want you to put his name back on the church books.” That is not the way Jesus gave him a place in the fold. We need to rethink who and what the church is, because it says here that Jesus gave this man a place within the fold.

This was not the last time someone like this was disfellowshipped wrongly. You and I have a responsibility to sheep that have been mauled by wolves and have been cast out of the fold. We need to care for them and give them a place in the fold. “With proper labor, many souls might have been added to the church who are driven from the fold into the wilderness of unbelief.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 2, 274.

 

Entering Through the Door

 

In the Day of Judgment, the only people who will be saved are those who entered through the door. The ones who climbed over the wall will be lost. What is this door? Jesus said, “I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” John 10:7–9.

It is important to belong to the church, to be in the fold, but it will not do any good to get into the fold unless you go through the door. If you go through the door, you will be saved. If you climb over the wall, you may be in the fold, but you will be lost. You are a thief and a robber. Jesus said, “I am the Door,” and then He says, “I am the good Shepherd and the Shepherd goes through the door.” (See verses 2, 11 and 14.) There is a double symbol here. Both the door and the shepherd represent Jesus. How does that work? Think it through carefully for a moment. If there is a door and the good shepherd goes through that door, then there must have been a time before the shepherd goes through the door and a time after he has entered the fold.

How can this be applied to the life of Christ? It cannot refer to His divinity, because Jesus assures us that there has never been a time when He was not in close fellowship with the Father—when He was not divine. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning . . . the Word was God.” You cannot go before the beginning.

The symbolism must then refer to the humanity of Christ. There was a time when Jesus left His throne in heaven and came to this world and became incarnate. He took upon Himself human flesh and human nature like ours, uniting His divinity with our humanity. This is a mystery that we will study throughout all eternity. He became one flesh with us, so that we could become one spirit with Him. He went through the door. He united His divinity to our humanity. That is how He became the good shepherd who could reach down to the bottom of the sin problem, pick up a lost sheep and take him back to the fold.

What does it mean for us to go through the door? Just as Jesus united His divinity with our humanity, so our humanity must be united with His divinity in order for us to be saved. We must become partakers of the divine nature and be born again. (See 2 Peter 1.) When you are born again, you receive the divine nature, receiving a new mind, and a new spirit. Paul said, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Ellen White describes this experience in these words: “The old nature, born of blood and the will of the flesh, cannot inherit the kingdom of God. The old ways, the hereditary tendencies, the former habits, must be given up; for grace is not inherited. The new birth consists in having new motives, new tastes, new tendencies. Those who are begotten unto a new life by the Holy Spirit, have become partakers of the divine nature, and in all their habits and practices they will give evidence of their relationship to Christ.” The Signs of the Times, November 16, 1891.

Without this process occurring in your life, you cannot be saved. You may have been baptized with water, you may have your name on the church books, but if you have not gone through the door, you cannot be saved. You are just as lost as the people on the outside of the fold. If we have not entered through the door, then we must have climbed over the wall, and that is the problem in Adventism. Too many people have gone over the wall and they are the wolves in sheep’s clothing. It is because of this that there is so much backbiting and so many sheep are getting mauled and turned out of the fold.

 

Hearing and Following Christ’s Call

 

In John 10:2–5 we read, “But He who enters by the door is the Shepherd of the sheep. To Him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear His voice; and He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out. And when He brings out His sheep, He goes before them; and the sheep follow Him for they know His voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”

Jesus calls His own sheep by name and they follow Him, because they know His voice. What alarms me is that there are so many people in Adventism that for one reason or another do not recognize the Shepherd’s voice. If you are one of His sheep, you will recognize His voice. When He speaks through the testimonies of His Spirit, sends special messengers to the remnant, and speaks through the prophets and the apostles, the sheep will recognize His voice.

Not only do the sheep recognize His voice, but He leads them out and they follow Him and not strangers. They will not even listen to strangers, but will flee from them. What voices are you and your children listening to? It is amazing to me, that some of our people listen to so many voices. They read different books and magazines, watch many videos and television programs, and listen to radio programs. When their children go out into the world, they come to us and ask, “What happened?” What has happened is that their children have been listening to the voice of a stranger for twenty years.

As I prayed about this, I said, “Lord, if I am one of Your sheep, I want to hear Your voice. Please help me to hear Your voice.” When I read the Bible and the writings of Ellen White, I hear His voice, but I have to do more than hear. The sheep hear His voice and follow. We must also obey the instructions that are given.

If we hear Christ’s voice and obey, we can have assurance that we will be saved. “My sheep hear My voice and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” John 10:27–29.

“The soul that has given himself to Christ is more precious in His sight than the whole world. The Saviour would have passed through the agony of Calvary that one might be saved in His kingdom. He will never abandon one for whom He has died. Unless His followers choose to leave Him, He will hold them fast.” The Desire of Ages, 480.

The plan of salvation is simple. We do not have to be a theologian, have a high I.Q. or have a college education; we only need to hear His voice and obey Him. When we hear His voice speaking through the prophets and apostles, and the special messenger to the remnant, and we follow, He says, “I will put you in my hand. My Father who gave you to Me is greater than all and nobody can snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” What a wonderful assurance!

 

Recognizing Christ’s Voice

 

How can we know that we are listening to Christ’s voice and not that of a stranger? By studying God’s Word and the Spirit of Prophecy, we learn the truth and are able to differentiate between it and error. Are you having your devotions every day? Are you praying and asking the Lord to help you to have His truth so implanted in your heart that you will not be deceived by the errors that you encounter every day?

There are a lot of people in Adventism that have not listened to the Shepherd’s voice enough so that they can tell the difference between His voice and a stranger’s voice. If we are in that situation, we will be lost. Deceptions will come that are so severe that we will not be able to stand unless we are firmly grounded in God’s Word. Truth and error will look so similar that unless our minds are guided by the Holy Spirit we will be led to accept error.

Friends, now is the time for us to choose to go through the door, to be changed, fully and completely, by the transforming power of Christ. You can, if you are willing to submit all. I invite you, today, to follow Christ through the door into the sheepfold. Enter the hand of Christ where you will be safe. Unless you choose to leave, He will hold you secure and nothing can pluck you out of His hand.

 

Editorial — Preparation for the Latter Rain, Part 2

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What are your feelings and mine toward our brothers and sisters in Christ? Our feelings toward each other, especially those who consider themselves our enemies, are one critical factor revealing whether or not we are ready for the latter rain. Ellen White, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit wrote, “I would that I had the power to present the subject to others as it has been presented to me. Just before He descended to the greatest depths of humiliation, the Saviour lifted up His eyes to heaven, and prayed that His disciples might be one. He said, ‘Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word; that they may all be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us: that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me. And the glory which thou gavest Me I have given them; that they may be one, even as We are one: I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me.’ The church will never as a whole receive the latter rain unless they shall put away all envy, evil surmising, and evil speaking. Those who have cherished hatred in the heart until it has strengthened and become part of their character, must have a different experience if they would share in the latter rain. Many are not awake to the fact that the Lord is testing and proving them to make it manifest whether or not they really love Jesus. The spirit and attitude manifested to their brethren, tells their spirit and attitude toward God. Great dishonor is done to Jesus Christ by those who claim to be His disciples. Those who are not branches of the divine Root, who are not partakers of the divine nature, will not and cannot love those for whom Christ has given His life. The evidence that we are accepted in the Beloved, that we have passed from death unto life, is that we ‘love the brethren.’ ‘He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.’ ‘He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.’ This is the decision of One who cannotlie. ‘Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.’ But notwithstanding these positive utterances, how little love is expressed among those who profess to be sons and daughters of God! ‘Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?’ The inference to be drawn from this question is that it is impossible for one to have the love of God, and fail to have compassion for his fellow men. The love of Jesus in the heart will always be revealed in tender compassion for the souls of those for whom Christ paid so dear a price. ‘Let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him . . . And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.’ There is no such thing as a loveless Christian. He who is in unity with Christ, in word, in life, and in action, bears the living testimony that he has the mind and spirit of Christ.” The Home Missionary, August 1, 1896.

“There is nothing that Satan fears so much as that the people of God shall clear the way by removing every hindrance, so that the Lord can pour out His Spirit upon a languishing church and an impenitent congregation. If Satan had his way, there would never be another awakening, great or small, to the end of time. But we are not ignorant of his devices. It is possible to resist his power. When the way is prepared for the Spirit of God, the blessing will come. Satan can no more hinder a shower of blessing from descending upon God’s people than he can close the windows of heaven that rain cannot come upon the earth. Wicked men and devils cannot hinder the work of God, or shut out His presence from the assemblies of His people, if they will, with subdued, contrite hearts, confess and put away their sins, and in faith claim His promises. Every temptation, every opposing influence, whether open or secret, may be successfully resisted, “not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.’ Zechariach 4:6.” Selected Messages, vol. 1, 124.

 

Behold, I Come Quickly! — From Midnight Into Dawn

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September 23 – 29, 2018

Key Text

“Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about Him” (Psalm 50:3).

Study Help

The Great Controversy, 618–622, 638–652.

Introduction

“Jesus rides forth as a mighty conqueror. Not now a ‘Man of Sorrows’ (Isaiah 53:3), to drink the bitter cup of shame and woe, He comes, victor in heaven and earth. … No human pen can portray the scene; no mortal mind is adequate to conceive its splendor.” The Great Controversy, 641.

Sunday

WHILE THE LAST MOMENTS LINGER …

  • Explain Christ’s plan for us in contrast to Satan’s. Luke 22:31; John 9:4.

 Note: “Satan … knows that with him everything depends on his diverting minds from Jesus and His truth.

“Those who would share the benefits of the Saviour’s mediation should permit nothing to interfere with their duty to perfect holiness in the fear of God.” The Great Controversy, 488.

“Zeal for God moved the disciples to bear witness to the truth with mighty power. Should not this zeal fire our hearts with a determination to tell the story of redeeming love, of Christ and Him crucified? Is not the Spirit of God to come today, in answer to earnest, persevering prayer, and fill men with power for service?” Testimonies, vol. 8, 22.

“Every power lent us of heaven is to be used in doing the work assigned us by the Lord for those who are perishing in ignorance. The warning message is to be sounded in all parts of the world. There must be no delay. The truth must be proclaimed in the dark places of the earth. Obstacles must be met and surmounted. A great work is to be done, and this work has been entrusted to those who know the truth for this time.” The Review and Herald, November 23, 1905.

Monday

THE INTENSITY ESCALATES …

  • What must we realize about the threefold confederacy aiming to tear down God’s law on a global level? Revelation 16:13, 14; 1 Thessalonians 5:3, 4.

Note: “As the controversy extends into new fields and the minds of the people are called to God’s downtrodden law, Satan is astir. The power attending the message will only madden those who oppose it. The clergy will put forth almost superhuman efforts to shut away the light lest it should shine upon their flocks. By every means at their command they will endeavor to suppress the discussion of these vital questions. The church appeals to the strong arm of civil power, and, in this work, papists and Protestants unite.” Maranatha, 172.

“Through the two great errors, the immortality of the soul and Sunday sacredness, Satan will bring the people under his deceptions. While the former lays the foundation of spiritualism, the latter creates a bond of sympathy with Rome. The Protestants of the United States will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of spiritualism; they will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power; and under the influence of this threefold union, this country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience. …

“Papists, Protestants, and worldlings will alike accept the form of godliness without the power, and they will see in this union a grand movement for the conversion of the world and the ushering in of the long-expected millennium.” Ibid., 190.

  • What sentiment of the psalmist can surely be echoed today? Psalm 119:126.

Note: “The time in which we live is one of marked depravity. Religious restraint is thrown off, and men reject the law of God as unworthy of their attention. A more than common contempt is placed upon this holy law. …

“Men are now passing the boundary line, and the Lord is permitting the enemy to do his will. … The tread of the Lord will be heard upon the land and upon the water. For His own honor’s sake, God is now about to repress iniquity. He will soon, very soon, vindicate the claims of His law.” The Review and Herald, November 23, 1905.

Tuesday

THE FINAL EXIT

  • Name one warning Christ gave that has a distinct application in our day—as a final sign that the mission is accomplished. Matthew 24:15–19. What factors should we consider at this late hour? Revelation 3:11.

Note: “It is no time now for God’s people to be fixing their affections or laying up their treasure in the world. The time is not far distant, when, like the early disciples, we shall be forced to seek a refuge in desolate and solitary places. As the siege of Jerusalem by the Roman armies was the signal for flight to the Judean Christians, so the assumption of power on the part of our nation in the decree enforcing the papal sabbath will be a warning to us. It will then be time to leave the large cities, preparatory to leaving the smaller ones for retired homes in secluded places among the mountains. And now, instead of seeking expensive dwellings here, we should be preparing to move to a better country, even a heavenly. Instead of spending our means in self-gratification, we should be studying to economize. Every talent lent of God should be used to His glory in giving the warning to the world. God has a work for His colaborers to do in the cities. Our missions must be sustained; new missions must be opened. To carry forward this work successfully will require no small outlay. Houses of worship are needed, where the people may be invited to hear the truths for this time. For this very purpose, God has entrusted a capital to His stewards. Let not your property be tied up in worldly enterprises, so that this work shall be hindered. Get your means where you can handle it for the benefit of the cause of God. Send your treasures before you into heaven.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 464, 465.

  • Amid the impending woe, where does God want us to focus? Isaiah 26:3, 4.

Note: “Think of Jesus. He is in His holy place, not in a state of solitude, but surrounded by ten thousand times ten thousand of heavenly angels who wait to do His bidding. And He bids them go and work for the weakest saint who puts his trust in God. High and low, rich and poor, have the same help provided.” The Faith I Live By, 205.

Wednesday

KEEPING OUR FOCUS

  • Explain the real issue at stake in the final test—and how, according to the apostle Peter, we are to be daily preparing to meet it. Revelation 13:11, 15–17; Acts 5:29.

Note: “The time will come when men will not only forbid Sunday work, but they will try to force men to labor on the Sabbath, and to subscribe to Sunday observance or forfeit their freedom and their lives.” The Review and Herald, April 6, 1911.

  • What gracious promises reveal the tender watchcare of our heavenly Father in that trying hour? Psalms 31:19, 20; 91:5–7; Isaiah 26:20, 21.

Note: “[Isaiah 26:20 quoted.] What are the chambers in which they [God’s people] are to hide? They are the protection of Christ and holy angels. The people of God are not at this time all in one place. They are in different companies, and in all parts of the earth.

“I saw the saints leaving the cities and villages, and associating together in companies, and living in the most solitary places. Angels provided them food and water, while the wicked were suffering from hunger and thirst.

“During the night a very impressive scene passed before me. There seemed to be great confusion and the conflict of armies. A messenger from the Lord stood before me, and said, ‘Call your household. I will lead you; follow me.’ He led me down a dark passage, through a forest, then through the clefts of mountains, and said, ‘Here you are safe.’ There were others who had been led to this retreat. The heavenly messenger said, ‘The time of trouble has come as a thief in the night, as the Lord warned you it would come.’

“In the time of trouble just before the coming of Christ, the righteous will be preserved through the ministration of heavenly angels; but there will be no security for the transgressor of God’s law. Angels cannot then protect those who are disregarding one of the divine precepts.

“In the closing period of earth’s history the Lord will work mightily in behalf of those who stand steadfastly for the right.” Maranatha, 270.

Thursday

A GLORIOUS DELIVERANCE!

  • With what sober thoughts should we be fortifying the mind right now? Mark 8:38; Revelation 22:7, 12.

Note: “We are anxiously awaiting His [the Lord’s] coming. We need to keep the armor on. We need to be all that the name Christian signifies. We need to live in habitual communion with God our Savior, abiding in Him.

“Christ has given us no assurance that to attain perfection of character is an easy matter. … Shall we then be timid and cowardly because of the trials we meet as we advance? Shall we not meet them without repining and complaints?” Manuscript Releases, vol. 10, 167.

  • What happens when Jesus returns? Psalm 50:3–6; 1 Thessalonians 4:16–18.

 Note: “Soon appeared the great white cloud. On it sat the Son of man. …

“No language can describe the glory of the scene. The living cloud of majesty and unsurpassed glory came still nearer, and we could clearly behold the lovely person of Jesus. He did not wear a crown of thorns but a crown of glory. …

“On either side of the cloudy chariot were wings, and beneath it were living wheels; and as the cloudy chariot rolled upward, the wheels cried, Holy, and the wings, as they moved, cried, Holy, and the retinue of holy angels around the cloud cried, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty. And the saints in the cloud cried, Glory, Alleluia. And the chariot rolled upward to the holy city.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 1, 206–208.

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1     Today, as everyone is so busy, what plot does the enemy of souls have?

2    Explain the threefold union of Revelation 16 and its global deceptive power.

3    The serious message of country living has been taught since the 1880s, but at what point does it become irreversibly necessary for the believers’ safety?

4    Is the test looming on the horizon simply about resting on Sunday? Explain.

5    What should be foremost in our mind as we prepare for Jesus’ return?

 Copyright © 2017 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Behold, I Come Quickly! — Swelling to a Loud Cry

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September 16 – 22, 2018

Key Text

“I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour My Spirit upon thy seed, and My blessing upon thine offspring” (Isaiah 44:3).

Study Help

Testimonies, vol. 1, 179–184; vol. 8, 14–23.

Introduction

“Why do we not hunger and thirst for the gift of the Spirit, since this is the means by which we are to receive power? Why do we not talk of it, pray for it, preach concerning it?” Testimonies, vol. 8, 22.

Sunday

RESTORATION TAUGHT WITH POWER

  • What prophecy carries special significance in the preparation to meet the Lord? Malachi 4:5.

Note: “In this age, just prior to the second coming of Christ in the clouds of heaven, God calls for men who will prepare a people to stand in the great day of the Lord.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1184.

  • How did Jesus explain to His disciples the first application of this prophecy, and how does this relate to our work now? Matthew 17:11–13.

Note: “Those who are to prepare the way for the second coming of Christ are represented by faithful Elijah, as John came in the spirit of Elijah to prepare the way for Christ’s first advent. The great subject of reform is to be agitated, and the public mind is to be stirred. Temperance in all things is to be connected with the message, to turn the people of God from their idolatry, their gluttony, and their extravagance in dress and other things.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 62.

Monday

REPAIRERS OF THE LORD’S WAY

  • What powerful message did John the Baptist proclaim, and why is it appropriate that we be doing likewise? Luke 1:16, 17; Matthew 3:2, 8.

Note: “He [John the Baptist] saw his people deceived, self-satisfied, and asleep in their sins. He longed to rouse them to a holier life. The message that God had given him to bear was designed to startle them from the lethargy, and cause them to tremble because of their great wickedness. Before the seed of the gospel could find lodgement, the soil of the heart must be broken up. Before they would seek healing from Jesus, they must be awakened to their danger from the wounds of sin.

“God does not send messengers to flatter the sinner. He delivers no message of peace to lull the unsanctified into fatal security. He lays heavy burdens upon the conscience of the wrongdoer, and pierces the soul with arrows of conviction.” The Desire of Ages, 103, 104.

  • Give examples of how the Elijah message is to restore family life—including how it was prefigured in John the Baptist’s work. Malachi 2:13–17; 4:6.

Note: “John was acquainted with the fact that he [Herod] was about to marry his brother’s wife, while her husband was yet living, and faithfully told Herod that this was not lawful.” Early Writings, 154.

  • What characterizes “the spirit and power of Elias,” and who is proclaiming this message today? 1 Kings 18:17, 18, 21; Revelation 12:17.

 Note: “Many dare not condemn iniquity, lest they shall thereby sacrifice position or popularity. And by some it is considered uncharitable to rebuke sin. The servant of God should never allow his own spirit to be mingled with the reproof which he is required to give; but he is under the most solemn obligation to present the word of God, without fear or favor. He must call sin by its right name. Those who by their carelessness or indifference permit God’s name to be dishonored by His professed people, are numbered with the transgressor—registered in the record of heaven as partakers in their evil deeds.” The Signs of the Times, April 21, 1881.

Tuesday

THE FINAL WORK

  • What summarizes the urgent call of the hour? Revelation 14:6–13; 18:1–4.

Note: “In the closing work of God in the earth, the standard of His law will be again exalted. False religion may prevail, iniquity may abound, the love of many may wax cold, the cross of Calvary may be lost sight of, and darkness, like the pall of death, may spread over the world; the whole force of the popular current may be turned against the truth; plot after plot may be formed to overthrow the people of God; but in the hour of greatest peril the God of Elijah will raise up human instrumentalities to bear a message that will not be silenced. In the populous cities of the land, and in the places where men have gone to the greatest lengths in speaking against the Most High, the voice of stern rebuke will be heard. Boldly will men of God’s appointment denounce the union of the church with the world. Earnestly will they call upon men and women to turn from the observance of a man-made institution to the observance of the true Sabbath.” Prophets and Kings, 186, 187.

  • What must always be evident in our speech and life? John 1:29; 14:12; 2 Corinthians 4:5–7.

 Note: “The last rays of merciful light, the last message of mercy to be given to the world, is a revelation of His character of love. The children of God are to manifest His glory. In their own life and character they are to reveal what the grace of God has done for them.

“The light of the Sun of Righteousness is to shine forth in good works—in words of truth and deeds of holiness.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 415, 416.

  • How will God’s work ultimately be finished? Zechariah 4:6; Isaiah 28:21.

Note: “The Lord will work in this last work in a manner very much out of the common order of things, and in a way that will be contrary to any human planning.” Evangelism, 118.

Wednesday

HOW TO RECEIVE THE REFRESHING

  • What must we continually realize about a key quality essential to experiencing the Holy Spirit in the fullness of latter-rain power? Isaiah 57:15.

Note: “There will be those among us who will always want to control the work of God, to dictate even what movements shall be made when the work goes forward under the direction of the angel who joins the third angel in the message to be given to the world. God will use ways and means by which it will be seen that He is taking the reins in His own hands.” Evangelism, 118.

“Men with one talent may reach a class that those with two or five talents cannot approach. Great and small alike are chosen vessels to bear the water of life to thirsting souls. Let not those who preach the word lay their hands upon the humblest worker and say: ‘You must labor in this channel or not work at all.’ Hands off, brethren. Let everyone work in his own sphere, with his own armor on, doing whatever he can do in his humble way. Strengthen his hands in the work. This is no time for pharisaism to control. Let God work through whom He will. The message must go.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 462.

  • Why is the latter rain given, and why should we be inspired by the motivation of the early disciples? Acts 1:8; 4:33; Jeremiah 30:5–7.

Note: “Notice that it was after the disciples had come into perfect unity, when they were no longer striving for the highest place, that the Spirit was poured out. They were of one accord. All differences had been put away. …

“The disciples did not ask for a blessing for themselves. They were weighted with the burden of souls. …

“Let Christians put away all dissension and give themselves to God for the saving of the lost. Let them ask in faith for the promised blessing, and it will come.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 20, 21.

“As the third message swells to a loud cry, and as great power and glory attend the closing work, the faithful people of God will partake of that glory. It is the latter rain which revives and strengthens them to pass through the time of trouble.” Ibid., vol. 1, 353.

Thursday

TREMENDOUSLY GRATIFYING!

  • What opportunity is before us right now? Titus 2:13; 2 Corinthians 6:1, 2.

 Note: “My brethren and sisters, study your plans; grasp every opportunity of speaking to your neighbors and associates or of reading something to them from books that contain present truth. Show that you regard as of first importance the salvation of the souls for whom Christ has made so great a sacrifice.

“In working for perishing souls, you have the companionship of angels. Thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand angels are waiting to cooperate with members of our churches in communicating the light that God has generously given, that a people may be prepared for the coming of Christ.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 129.

  • Describe the amazing results to occur when the Holy Spirit is poured out without measure. Zechariah 8:23; Isaiah 44:3, 4; 61:11.

Note: “The seed has been sown, and now it will spring up and bear fruit. The publications distributed by missionary workers have exerted their influence, yet many whose minds were impressed have been prevented from fully comprehending the truth or from yielding obedience. Now the rays of light penetrate everywhere, the truth is seen in its clearness, and the honest children of God sever the bands which have held them. Family connections, church relations, are powerless to stay them now. Truth is more precious than all besides.” The Great Controversy, 612.

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1     What parallels exist between our work and that of Elijah and John the Baptist?

2    How does the restoration needed today relate to the Ten Commandments?

3    Summarize the character qualities of those who will receive the latter rain.

4    On what basis might I be in danger of missing this amazing privilege?

5    Why are the results of the latter rain so incredibly gratifying to see?

Behold, I Come Quickly! — The Wisdom of God’s Timing

by

September 9 – 15, 2018

Key Text

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

Study Help

Selected Messages, Book 1, 185–192; Early Writings, 56–58, 69–73, 111–114.

Introduction

“It is true that time has continued longer than we expected in the early days of this message. Our Saviour did not appear as soon as we hoped. But has the Word of the Lord failed? Never! It should be remembered that the promises and the threatenings of God are alike conditional.” Evangelism, 695.

Sunday

GOD’S COMPASSION

  • Explain God’s goal for every human He has created. 1 Timothy 2:3–6.

 Note: “God is long-suffering, not willing that any should perish; but His forbearance has a limit, and when the boundary is passed, there is no second probation. His wrath will go forth and He will destroy without remedy.” The Youth’s Instructor, March 28, 1905.

  • Why couldn’t the Lord permit the people of Israel to take direct possession of the promised land? Hebrews 3:7–11.

Note: “God did not design that His people, Israel, should wander forty years in the wilderness. He promised to lead them directly to the land of Canaan, and establish them there a holy, healthy, happy people. But those to whom it was first preached, went not in ‘because of unbelief’ (Hebrews 3:19).” Evangelism, 696.

Monday

REASONS FOR THE APPARENT DELAY

  • As believers, what danger do we face today? Hebrews 3:12, 13.

Note: “For forty years did unbelief, murmuring, and rebellion shut out ancient Israel from the land of Canaan. The same sins have delayed the entrance of modern Israel into the heavenly Canaan. In neither case were the promises of God at fault. It is the unbelief, the worldliness, unconsecration, and strife among the Lord’s professed people that have kept us in this world of sin and sorrow so many years.” Evangelism, 696.

  • Why does it seem that the Lord is delaying His coming? 2 Peter 3:9.

Note: “The long night of gloom is trying, but the morning is deferred in mercy, because if the Master should come, so many would be found unready. God’s unwillingness to have His people perish, has been the reason of so long delay.” Evangelism, 694.

“In mercy to the world, Jesus delays His coming, that sinners may have an opportunity to hear the warning and find in Him a shelter before the wrath of God shall be poured out.” The Great Controversy, 458.

  • Who is in a position to relieve much of the spiritual gloom that envelops our planet? 2 Peter 3:11, 12; 1 Corinthians 15:34.

Note: “The Lord in compassion is seeking to enlighten the understanding of those who are now groping in the darkness of error. He is delaying His judgments upon an impenitent world, in order that His light-bearers may seek and save that which is lost.” The Review and Herald, March 31, 1910.

  • How can we hasten Jesus’ coming? 2 Corinthians 5:20; Matthew 24:14.

Note: “By giving the gospel to the world it is in our power to hasten our Lord’s return. We are not only to look for but to hasten the coming of the day of God.” The Desire of Ages, 633.

Tuesday

EXTRA POWER TO SPEED THINGS ALONG

  • How will the sharing of the gospel reach its climax in the last days? Zechariah 10:1; Joel 2:23.

Note: “The great work of the gospel is not to close with less manifestation of the power of God than marked its opening. The prophecies which were fulfilled in the outpouring of the former rain at the opening of the gospel are again to be fulfilled in the latter rain at its close.” The Great Controversy, 611, 612.

  • What is needed to be entrusted with the latter rain—the outpouring of God’s Spirit without measure? Joel 2:17, 18; Acts 3:19, 20.

Note: “I saw that none could share the ‘refreshing’ unless they obtain the victory over every besetment, over pride, selfishness, love of the world, and over every wrong word and action. We should, therefore, be drawing nearer and nearer to the Lord and be earnestly seeking that preparation necessary to enable us to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord. Let all remember that God is holy and that none but holy beings can ever dwell in His presence.” Early Writings, 71.

“The heart must be emptied of every defilement and cleansed for the indwelling of the Spirit. It was by the confession and forsaking of sin, by earnest prayer and consecration of themselves to God, that the early disciples prepared for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. The same work, only in greater degree, must be done now.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 507.

“For the baptism of the Spirit every worker should be pleading with God. Companies should be gathered together to ask for special help, for heavenly wisdom, that they may know how to plan and execute wisely. Especially should men pray that God will baptize His missionaries with the Holy Spirit.

“The presence of the Spirit with God’s workers will give the presentation of the truth a power that not all the honor or glory of the world could give. The Spirit furnishes the strength that sustains striving, wrestling souls in every emergency, amidst the unfriendliness of relatives, the hatred of the world, and the realization of their own imperfections and mistakes.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 22.

Wednesday

THE OMNISCIENT KNOWS BEST

  • Even as we advance in the knowledge of God, what information does He still reserve the right to withhold from us, and why? Acts 1:6, 7.

Note: “God has not revealed to us the time when this message will close, or when probation will have an end. … Let us not seek to know that which has been kept secret in the councils of the Almighty.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 191.

“There will never again be a message for the people of God that will be based on time. We are not to know the definite time either for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit or for the coming of Christ. …

“ ‘The Lord showed me that the message must go, and that it must not be hung on time; for time will never be a test again. I saw that some were getting a false excitement, arising from preaching time, that the third angel’s message can stand on its own foundation, and that it needs not time to strengthen it, and that it will go with mighty power, and do its work, and will be cut short in righteousness.’ ” Ibid., 188.

  • Why should we be satisfied with God’s wisdom in this matter? Deuteronomy 29:29.

Note: “The preaching of a definite time for the judgment, in the giving of the first message, was ordered by God. The computation of the prophetic periods on which that message was based, placing the close of the 2300 days in the autumn of 1844, stands without impeachment. The repeated efforts to find new dates for the beginning and close of the prophetic periods, and the unsound reasoning necessary to sustain these positions, not only lead minds away from the present truth, but throw contempt upon all efforts to explain the prophecies. The more frequently a definite time is set for the second advent, and the more widely it is taught, the better it suits the purposes of Satan. After the time has passed, he excites ridicule and contempt of its advocates, and thus casts reproach upon the great advent movement of 1843 and 1844. Those who persist in this error will at last fix upon a date too far in the future for the coming of Christ. Thus they will be led to rest in a false security, and many will not be undeceived until it is too late.” The Great Controversy, 457.

Thursday

THE IMPENDING PROCLAMATION

  • What declaration is soon to be pronounced from Heaven, and why is this of such solemn importance to every mortal? Revelation 22:11.

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

“I saw that many were neglecting the preparation so needful and were looking to the time of ‘refreshing’ and the ‘latter rain’ to fit them to stand in the day of the Lord and to live in His sight. Oh, how many I saw in the time of trouble without a shelter! They had neglected the needful preparation; therefore they could not receive the refreshing that all must have to fit them to live in the sight of a holy God. Those who refuse to be hewed by the prophets and fail to purify their souls in obeying the whole truth, and who are willing to believe that their condition is far better than it really is, will come up to the time of the falling of the plagues, and then see that they needed to be hewed and squared for the building. But there will be no time then to do it and no Mediator to plead their cause before the Father. … [Revelation 22:11 quoted.]” Early Writings, 71.

“Those who are living upon the earth when the intercession of Christ shall cease in the sanctuary above are to stand in the sight of a holy God without a mediator. Their robes must be spotless, their characters must be purified from sin by the blood of sprinkling. Through the grace of God and their own diligent efforts, they must be conquerors in the battle with evil.” The Review and Herald, January 17, 1907.

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1     What should we learn from the delay in Israel’s entrance into Canaan?

2    Who is the chief culprit in delaying today’s entrance into heavenly Canaan?

3    How is the latter rain related to this event, and what enables it to come?

4    Explain the main purpose of the latter rain and the timing of it.

5    What do I need for God to be able to trust me with this refreshing?

Behold, I Come Quickly! — Laboring for the Master

by

September 2 – 8, 2018

Key Text

“Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).

Study Help

Testimonies, vol. 2, 189–199; Ibid., vol. 6, 404–410.

Introduction

“Those who are watching for the Lord are purifying their souls by obedience to the truth. With vigilant watching they combine earnest working. Because they know that the Lord is at the door, their zeal is quickened to co-operate with the divine intelligences in working for the salvation of souls.” The Desire of Ages, 634.

Sunday

COWORKERS WITH THE LORD OF LORDS

  • On what basis is every Christian believer—whether male, female, married, single, rich, poor, and of any age or ethnic background whatsoever—officially authorized and commanded to witness for their Lord and Master Jesus Christ? John 15:16; Galatians 3:27, 28.

Note: “ ‘Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature’ (Mark 16:15), is Christ’s command to His followers. Not that all are called to be ministers or missionaries in the ordinary sense of the term; but all may be workers with Him in giving the ‘glad tidings’ to their fellow men. To all, great or small, learned or ignorant, old or young, the command is given.” Education, 264.

“When I think of the cities in which so little work has been done, in which there are so many thousands to be warned of the soon coming of the Saviour, I feel an intensity of desire to see men and women going forth to the work in the power of the Spirit filled with Christ’s love for perishing souls.” Evangelism, 69.

  • What group is definitely included also in having a special part in the closing work of the gospel? 1 John 2:14, second half.

Monday

DEDICATION TO THE MESSAGE FOR TODAY

  • What special significance does the “everlasting gospel” have in our time? Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14; Revelation 14:6, 7.

Note: “The proclamation of the judgment is an announcement of Christ’s second coming as at hand. And this proclamation is called the everlasting gospel. Thus the preaching of Christ’s second coming, the announcement of its nearness, is shown to be an essential part of the gospel message.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 227, 228.

  • Name one factor that is closely connected with the Advent message—and actually helps us to understand it better. Romans 12:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

Note: “The health reform is one branch of the great work which is to fit a people for the coming of the Lord. It is as closely connected with the third angel’s message as the hand is with the body.” Counsels on Health, 20, 21.

“The gospel and the medical missionary work are to advance together. The gospel is to be bound up with the principles of true health reform. … We are to present the principles of health reform before the people, doing all in our power to lead men and women to see the necessity of these principles and to practice them.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 442.

  • What impels believers to spread the wonderful message of salvation? 2 Corinthians 5:14, 15.

Note: “Love to Jesus will be manifested in a desire to work as He worked for the blessing and uplifting of humanity. It will lead to love, tenderness, and sympathy toward all the creatures of our heavenly Father’s care. …

“No sooner does one come to Christ than there is born in his heart a desire to make known to others what a precious friend he has found in Jesus; the saving and sanctifying truth cannot be shut up in his heart.” Steps to Christ, 77, 78.

Tuesday

EMPTIED TO BE FILLED

  • What admonition carries a distinctive force for us who are living in the last days? 1 Thessalonians 5:1, 2, 6–8.

Note: “Let us not be found sleeping on guard. Let no one say in his heart or by his works, ‘My Lord delayeth his coming.’ Let the message of Christ’s soon return sound forth in earnest words of warning. Let us persuade men and women everywhere to repent, and flee from the wrath to come. Let us arouse them to immediate preparation; for we little know what is before us. Let ministers and lay members go forth into the ripening fields.” Maranatha, 106.

“Love is the basis of godliness. Whatever the profession, no man has pure love to God unless he has unselfish love for his brother. But we can never come into possession of this spirit by trying to love others. What is needed is the love of Christ in the heart. When self is merged in Christ, love springs forth spontaneously. The completeness of Christian character is attained when the impulse to help and bless others springs constantly from within.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 384. [Emphasis author’s.]

  • What should you do if you honestly don’t feel as enthusiastic about this message as you know you should? 1 John 4:20, 21; Revelation 2:2–5; 3:18, 19.

Note: “We need the message to the Laodicean church. You have left your first love, and there is hardness and coldness and want of sympathy—except for the favorite few. That will never answer in the world. We are to seek and save that which is lost.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 9, 61.

“Return to your first experience, when your soul was filled with love for Christ. Gather to your heart the obedience of a faith that works by love and purifies the soul. Obedience to the law of the Lord makes men pure, holy, undefiled. …

“O that there might be seen among our people a deep and thorough work of repentance and reformation! O that they would fall on the Rock, and be broken!” The Review and Herald, February 24, 1903.

“There is hope for all who will hear the truth and repent of their evil works.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 11, 216.

Wednesday

GOD’S GLORY MANIFESTED

  • What is the call of the hour, and how shall we respond to it? Isaiah 56:1–8.

Note: “He [the Lord] is now calling upon His church on the earth to awake from the lethargy that Satan has sought to bring upon them, and fulfill their heaven-appointed work of enlightening the world. …

“The world today is in crying need of a revelation of Christ Jesus in the person of His saints. God desires that His people shall stand before the world a holy people. Why?—because there is a world to be saved by the light of gospel truth; and as the message of truth that is to call men out of darkness into God’s marvelous light, is given by the church, the lives of its members, sanctified by the Spirit of truth, are to bear witness to the verity of the messages proclaimed.” The Review and Herald, March 31, 1910.

  • Describe Christ’s methods in working to save souls. Luke 14:23; John 4:27.

Note: “The Lord desires that His word of grace shall be brought home to every soul.

“To a great degree this must be accomplished by personal labor. This was Christ’s method. His work was largely made up of personal interviews. He had a faithful regard for the one-soul audience. Through that one soul the message was often extended to thousands.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 229.

  • What spirit is needed in laboring for God? Acts 10:38; 2 Corinthians 12:15.

Note: “Study Christ’s definition of a true missionary: ‘Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me’ (Mark 8:34). Following Christ, as spoken of in these words, is not a pretense, a farce. Jesus expects His disciples to follow closely in His footsteps, enduring what He endured, suffering what He suffered, overcoming as He overcame. He is anxiously waiting to see His professed followers revealing the spirit of self-sacrifice.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 209.

Thursday

A TREMENDOUS PRIVILEGE

  • How can each one of us cooperate in soul-saving, and what should be our most fervent desire and prayer? Romans 10:13–17; Luke 11:13.

Note: “We need greater earnestness in the cause of Christ. The solemn message of truth should be given with an intensity that would impress unbelievers that God is working with our efforts, that the Most High is our living source of strength.” Evangelism, 697.

“Some minds are led away from present truth and a love of the Holy Bible by reading other exciting books; others are filled with perplexity and care for what they shall eat, drink, and wear. Some are looking too far off for the coming of the Lord. Time has continued a few years longer than they expected; therefore they think it may continue a few years more, and in this way their minds are being led from present truth, out after the world. In these things I saw great danger; for if the mind is filled with other things, present truth is shut out, and there is no place in our foreheads for the seal of the living God. I saw that the time for Jesus to be in the most holy place was nearly finished and that time can last but a very little longer. What leisure time we have should be spent in searching the Bible, which is to judge us in the last day.

“My dear brethren and sisters, let the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ be in your minds continually and let them crowd out worldly thoughts and cares. When you lie down and when you rise up, let them be your meditation. Live and act wholly in reference to the coming of the Son of man. The sealing time is very short, and will soon be over.” Early Writings, 58.

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1     Why is no one excused from sharing the present truth with others?

2    What are we to understand by “everlasting gospel”?

3    Why is the Laodicean message needed when proselytizing is out of fashion?

4    What has been causing the world to doubt the truthfulness of our message?

5    What thoughts can I cut out of my mind to make more space for the truth?